New Delhi: Light rainfall across Kashmir and fresh snowfall in parts of Ladakh continued for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, with the Meteorological Centre predicting unstable weather conditions in the region until March 19.

Rainfall recorded across Kashmir plains

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Several areas in the Kashmir Valley experienced light rainfall during the day. According to the Jammu and Kashmir Meteorological Department, rain was reported in Srinagar, Baramulla and Kupwara in north Kashmir, as well as Pahalgam in south Kashmir.

An official from the MeT department said Kupwara received 6.4 mm of rainfall, while cloudy conditions prevailed across other areas.

Snowfall reported in Ladakh

Snowfall was reported in several high-altitude areas of Ladakh. Sonam Lotus, head of the Ladakh Meteorological Centre, confirmed that snowfall occurred in Zojila, Drass and the Panikhar–Zanskar region.

In an update posted on X, Lotus said: “Currently snowing on Zojila-Drass, Panikhar-Zanskar area while cloudy at rest of the places of Ladakh. Raining at scattered places of Kashmir & cloudy in Jammu region. Improvement from tomorrow.”

The fresh spell of rain and snowfall has ended a prolonged dry period in the region. Officials said the winter season had been largely dry, with over 54 percent precipitation deficit recorded earlier this year.

Weather forecast for coming days

The meteorological department said cloudy conditions and light to moderate rain or snowfall at scattered places are expected on Thursday as well.

Dry weather is expected on March 13 and 14, before another spell of precipitation.

The department said: “Generally cloudy weather with a spell of light rain/snow over higher reaches towards March 15 night and March 16 morning at scattered places followed by rains and snowfall on March 17, 18 and 19.”

Conditions are expected to improve later, with generally dry weather forecast for March 20 and 21, although isolated light rain cannot be ruled out.

Temperatures drop in Kashmir Valley

Temperatures across the Kashmir Valley dropped significantly after the rain and snowfall. Earlier in February, temperatures had risen unusually high, crossing 22°C in some places.

On Wednesday, Srinagar recorded a maximum temperature of 12.5°C and a minimum of 10.5°C.

Pahalgam recorded a daytime temperature of 9°C, while the ski resort of Gulmarg recorded 5.4°C.

Heatwave grips parts of India

While northern regions experienced rain and snowfall, several parts of western and central India saw unusually high temperatures.

The India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for heatwave conditions in Gujarat on March 12. Temperatures in several locations across Gujarat, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Chhattisgarh touched around 42°C on March 11.

Nandurbar in Madhya Maharashtra recorded the highest maximum temperature at 42.4°C.

The IMD said heatwave to severe heatwave conditions are likely to continue in Gujarat until March 13, after which temperatures are expected to gradually ease.

Rain expected to bring relief in several regions

The weather department also predicted rainfall across several northern states due to a fresh western disturbance likely to affect northwest India from March 14.

Light rainfall with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching 30–50 kmph is expected over Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh between March 14 and 16, while Uttar Pradesh may see rainfall on March 15 and 16 and Rajasthan on March 14 and 15.

Rainfall forecast for Northeast India

Northeastern states are also expected to experience wet conditions.

The IMD forecast scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning across Northeast India until March 17. Heavy rainfall is likely in Assam and Meghalaya between March 13 and 15, while Arunachal Pradesh may receive heavy rain from March 12 to 14.

Weather outlook for southern cities

Weather conditions in southern cities are expected to remain relatively stable.

Hyderabad and Amaravati are likely to see partly cloudy skies with haze, with temperatures reaching around 36°C.

Bengaluru is expected to have mainly clear skies with temperatures between 19°C and 32°C.

Thiruvananthapuram may experience isolated rain or thunderstorms, while Chennai is forecast to have partly cloudy conditions with temperatures between 24°C and 35°C.

The contrasting conditions highlight the sharp weather variation across India this March, with parts of the country experiencing rain and snowfall while others face early-season heatwaves.