Kathmandu Valley experiences hail and rain on Bhaitika

Kathmandu, Bhaktapur, and Lalitpur districts in Kathmandu Valley experienced hail and rain on Wednesday afternoon, Kartik 25 (BS), disrupting Bhaitika celebrations. The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM), Nepal’s weather forecasting body, attributed the sudden change in weather to a partial influence of westerly winds and local weather systems. The weather shifted abruptly after 1 PM, bringing light to moderate rainfall with thunder and hail. The DHM had forecast the possibility of light rain with thunder and lightning, and snowfall in the country’s Himalayan regions on Wednesday. It also predicted generally cloudy conditions in the Himalayan areas of Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki provinces, with partial cloudiness in other Himalayan and hilly regions, and Madhesh Province. The remaining Terai regions were expected to have mostly clear weather. Light rain was also possible in one or two places in the hilly areas of Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki provinces, with scattered rainfall expected in the Terai regions of Madhesh and Koshi provinces. For Wednesday night, the DHM predicted partial cloudiness in the Himalayan regions and mostly clear weather elsewhere. Light rain with thunder and lightning, and snowfall, was possible in one or two locations in the Himalayan areas of Koshi, Bagmati, and Gandaki provinces. Fog and mist were also expected in some parts of the Terai, valleys, and river basins during the early morning hours. The DHM urged the public to take necessary precautions and be vigilant while traveling, considering the sudden atmospheric changes. Earlier, the Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD), a division under the DHM, had predicted light rainfall in Kathmandu and other hilly and Himalayan regions on Bhaitika. Meteorologist Madhavi Sigdel had forecast light rain in some areas during the afternoon and evening, though not heavy rainfall. Dr. Binod Pokhrel, an associate professor at Tribhuvan University’s Central Department of Hydrology and Meteorology, also noted that a weak westerly wind system could bring light rain to some parts of Nepal’s eastern half.