Western Disturbances

Mains Paper 1 : Geographical Features & Their Location |

From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :

Prelims level : Western Disturbances

Mains level : Western Disturbances and its impact on India

Under the continued influence of a western disturbance, various parts of the country received unprecedented rainfall and hailstorms few days back.

Western Disturbance

A Western Disturbance is an extratropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region that brings sudden winter rain to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent.
It is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by the westerlies.
The moisture in these storms usually originates over the Mediterranean Sea and the Atlantic Ocean.
Extratropical storms are a global phenomena with moisture usually carried in the upper atmosphere, unlike their tropical counterparts where the moisture is carried in the lower atmosphere.
They are important for the development of the Rabi crop, which includes the locally important staple wheat.

Importance of Western Disturbances

The western disturbances affect weather conditions during the winter season up to Patna (Bihar) and give occasional rainfall which is highly beneficial for the standing rabi crops.
The arrival of these causes precipitation leading to an abrupt decrease in air temperature over North-West India.
Western Disturbances also bring heavy snowfall in the Himalayan Region and a cold wave to north Indian plains.

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