Northern India: Welcome rain may break foggy pattern briefly later next week

By Kristina Pydynowski, AccuWeather senior meteorologist

January 20,2017, 9:49:48AM,EST

 

 

Welcome rain may return to northern India later next week, sweeping away the persistent fog and haze but only for a brief time.
A storm set to track out of the Middle East could remain potent enough when it reaches northern India to deliver the rain and finally cut into the stagnant weather pattern.
Dense morning fog, hazy sunshine and poor air quality will continue across northern India until the storm arrives.
The storm should press eastward across northern India from Wednesday into Friday of next week after tracking through Pakistan earlier in the week.
Rain and a couple of thunderstorms would accompany the storm over New Delhi, Jaipur and Lucknow. Snow will bury the neighboring mountains and create treacherous travel.

How strong the storm remains will determine how much rain spreads to eastern India towards next weekend.
Any rain this time of year is welcome across northern India. New Delhi averages close to 20 mm (0.78 of an inch) of rain each January, compared to the nearly 250 mm (10 inches) that is typical in August.
As the storm sweeps in, the fog and haze currently shrouding northern India will be swept out. However, AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty stated that such clearing will be brief.
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“The fog and haze could clear for a day or two, but the increase in moisture from the rain might just cause more fog to develop quickly after the storm clears,” he said.
Next weekend, dense fog could once again create dangerously low visibility and travel hazards in New Delhi and Lucknow.
“Something else to watch out for will be colder air immediately after the storm,” Douty said.
Nighttime temperatures could drop back into the upper and middle single digits C (40s F), creating dangers for those without sufficient heating.