Another spell of light to moderate rain in several parts of Haryana on Thursday disrupted paddy harvesting and procurement operations, adding to farmers’ woes at a crucial stage of the harvesting season.
Rain was reported from parts of Sonepat, Rohtak, Panipat, Faridabad, Narnaul, Yamunanagar, Panchkula, Ambala, Jind, Kurukshetra and Karnal, while several other areas remained under a thick cloud cover, according to the reports. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) warned of more unsettled weather over the next two days. The Chandigarh Meteorological Centre issued an orange alert for 15 districts, warning of thunderstorms till October 30, possible hailstorms and gusty winds that could reach 50–60 kmph in some areas. Panipat recorded 22 mm rain, while Karnal’s Uchani station witnessed 14 mm rain till 5:30 pm of the day, according to IMD. Moreover, the weather office forecasted fairly widespread rainfall over Haryana on October 29 and 30, followed by isolated rainfall on October 31. Haryana has recorded 25.3 mm of rainfall between October 1 and 29, against the normal 9.4 mm for the period a surplus of about 170%. Sonepat recorded the highest cumulative rainfall at 64 mm followed by Panipat 57.9mm, Kurukshetra 57.1 mm, Karnal, 53.9 mm, Kaithal 48.7mm, Ambala 47.2mm, Palwal 42.9mm, Faridabad 28.6m, Gurgaon 26.8mm, Fatehabad 19.5mm Jind 18.7mm during this period, according to IMD data.
