Will it rain? Satellite images show strong western disturbance approaching India

Fresh IMD satellite images show a strong western disturbance moving towards north India amid a severe heatwave.

In Short

• Night temperatures stayed unusually high, leaving little relief after sunset
• Cloud bands over Pakistan and Kashmir signal strong atmospheric instability
• Moisture from the Arabian Sea could fuel thunderstorms and lightning

As large parts of India continue to reel under relentless heatwave conditions, with temperatures remaining unusually high even during the night, fresh satellite imagery from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has revealed a massive western disturbance approaching north India, raising hopes of long-awaited rain and relief from the scorching temperatures.

The latest thermal infrared imagery captured by the INSAT-3DS weather satellite on May 21 shows a sprawling cloud mass and cyclonic circulation over Afghanistan, Pakistan, and adjoining northwest India.

The system, clearly visible as dense white cloud bands in the image, is moving eastward toward the Himalayan region and the northern plains.

INDIA UNDER HEAT TRAP

For days, northwestern and central India have been trapped under intense heat.

Cities across Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and parts of Madhya Pradesh have witnessed daytime temperatures crossing 45 degrees Celsius, while nighttime temperatures have remained stubbornly high, offering little recovery after sunset.

Meteorologists say the unusually warm nights are particularly dangerous because the human body gets almost no time to cool down.

FRESH WESTERN DISTURBANCE APPROACHING

The satellite image also reveals extensive moisture incursion over the Arabian Sea and cloud build-up across northeast India and the Bay of Bengal.

Weather experts believe the approaching western disturbance could interact with this moisture, increasing the chances of thunderstorms, gusty winds, lightning activity, and scattered rainfall over several regions.

The most intense cloud activity in the image is concentrated over northern Pakistan and Jammu & Kashmir, indicating strong atmospheric instability associated with the incoming system.

Additional convective cloud clusters are visible over northeast India, suggesting pre-monsoon thunderstorm activity is already active in the eastern sector of the country.

According to meteorologists, the western disturbance is likely to bring rainfall to Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and western Uttar Pradesh over the next few days, however the intensity remains uncertain. Dust storms and isolated hailstorms are also possible in some areas.

While the rainfall may not immediately end the heatwave across all of north India, it could trigger a noticeable dip in temperatures, especially by lowering nighttime temperatures that have remained dangerously elevated.

The satellite image also hints at increasing activity over the Arabian Sea and southern Bay of Bengal, where cloud clusters are beginning to organise as monsoon conditions gradually become favourable.

For millions struggling through sleepless, sweltering nights, the approaching weather system may finally bring temporary relief.

But meteorologists warn that with climate change intensifying extreme weather, India’s battle with prolonged heatwaves is becoming longer, harsher, and increasingly unpredictable.

- Ends