TThe India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that April will see 12% more rainfall than normal over most of India except the northeastern states and parts of the southern peninsula.
This also means that several parts of North India, which usually start off hot and dry, have been relatively cooler due to several “Western Disturbances” (WDs).
These are extratropical storms from the Mediterranean Sea that bring rain to India during the non-monsoon months. Eight such WDs were recorded in northern India in March, two more than the usual six.
After eight WDs in March, at least three or four distinct strong systems hit northwest India by mid-April, causing significant crop damage in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
The number of such WDs is expected to decrease in the second half of the month.
WDs have the effect of improving air quality in some regions. Rain settles atmospheric dust, but as the rain accumulates, there may be a temporary upwelling of dust from the strong winds that precede the rain. (Text by Jacob Koshy)
Photo: Imran Nissar
Colors of Kashmir: Amid the drizzle in Srinagar, tourists visit the Indira Gandhi Memorial Tulip Garden, one of the largest gardens of its kind in Asia
Photo: ANI
Himalayan blanket: View of Sissu town after fresh snowfall, in Lahaul-Spiti, Himachal Pradesh
Photo: PTI
Preparing for the monsoon: At a market in Patiala, Punjab, workers cover sacks of wheat with tarpaulins to protect the grain from the rain
Photo: ANI
Neat streets, capital look: Pedestrians make their way along the glistening Kartavya Path after rain in New Delhi. The weather in the city depends a lot on the plains around it and the Himalayas. If it snows in the zones, it rains in the city or there is a drop in temperatures.
Photo: Sudhakara Jain
Winged visitors: A pigeon drinks water from a pot in Bengaluru.
Photo: ANI
An honest day’s work: A laborer sorts wheat grain in a field in Bhopal. Excessive and premature rain can lead to crop damage.
Photo: ANI
Splash and dash: Vehicles drive on a rainy day in Prayagraj
Photo: PTI
Pink city in sepia: Commuters brave a dust storm as rain clouds obscure the skyline at Sanganeri Gate in Jaipur.
Photo: PTI
Refugees from the rain: People take shelter during a sudden downpour at the Sanganeri Gate in Jaipur.
Published – 19 Apr 2026 12:03 IST
