Unseasonal rains swept over large part of the country causing a pleasant drop in temperatures. A strong storm system over an area stretching from Jammu and Kashmir to Karnataka was responsible.

Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh saw heavy showers, while Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand received snowfall.

"Such widespread rain at this time of the year is not very common. The wet weather in north and central India will continue for at least another day," BP Yadav, director, India Meteorological Department told the Times of India.

Rare meteorological effect

A rare domino effect of meteorological conditions was responsible. A western disturbance moved into north India, which is a normal development for the region. The winter rains they bring are important for the rabi crop in north India. The intensity of the disturbance, though, was stronger than usual and induced a cyclonic circulation over Gujarat which, in turn, caused winds to rush in from the Arabian Sea as well as the Bay of Bengal, resulting in widespread rains.

The strong showers provided a much-needed respite in urban India and, in many places, winter got a short extension just before Holi – the start of the short spring season in India.

 

 

 

 

Traffic woes

Urban India’s creaking infrastructure, though, meant the enjoyment was tempered with inconvenience. Traffic jams clogged up Mumbai and Delhi – unprepared to any precipitation at the best of times – saw waterlogged streets.

 

Students commuting to write their Central Board of Secondary Education exams faced the maximum brunt of this vehicular chaos – the Xth and XIIth board exams began today. Taking time out from the factional fights rocking the Aam Aadmi Party, national convener and Delhi Chief Minster Arvind Kejriwal advised students to leave their houses early to get past the “massive traffic jams due to rains”.

Crops hit

The out-of-turn rains have also hit Maharashtra’s farmers hard. Initial reports suggest that the rabi (winter) crop has been affected and the state government is scrambling to assess the damage. Wheat, grapes, mango, onion and cashew nut have been badly damaged due to these showers. Stored produce has also seen losses and in the short term the prices of vegetables might see a spike in urban centres such as Pune and Mumbai.

 

"Drop in mercury along with high speed winds up to 10-15 km per hour could lead to lot of withering of flowers and small fruits that are setting on the branches. If the temperatures are low, chances of pest and insects borne diseases increases due to moisture content in air," the Times of India quoted NI Shah, a horticulture scientist at Pariya centre run by Navsari Agriculture University (NAU), as saying. In the long term, the mango crop might be severely hit. Already, fears of a low supply of alphonso mangoes are being expressed in the Konkan region. In Marathwada, which has seen incessant rain for the past 48 hours, severe damage is feared for the region’s kesar mango.

Swine Flu

Most direly, however, the drop in temperature could increase the population's susceptibility to Swine Flu. Maharashtra's health minister, Deepak Sawant, has put out an advisory for doctors to immediately start treatment targetted at Swine Flu in case the symptoms match up. "Nature is not supporting us. We are anticipating a rise in the number of cases," said Sawant.  The situation is no different in other states.  There have been reports of the H1N1 virus spreading to many new districts in Uttar Pradesh and the number of people infected has risen to 614 in the last 24-hours.

So far this year, Swine Flu has claimed more than a 1,000 lives across the country with close to 20,000 cases being reported.