While summer was expected to tighten and take over northern India, inhabitants in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh are instead opting for winter jackets. The unusual cold, wet weather, at most 10–15°C below expected daytime temperatures, has pushed April into a lengthy February, driven primarily by a deluge of Western Disturbances (WDs) and moisture-filled winds from the Arabian Sea.

Usually, peak temperatures in early April reach 35–36°C in Delhi-NCR, but this time they are around 21–25°C during the day. The same irregularities have been seen in the region, with Punjab and Haryana recording 20–24°C as against a normal 32–34°C, Himachal Pradesh hill stations recording 10–12°C vs. 20–22°C, and parts of Rajasthan dropping to 24–26°C from the usual 36–38°C.

A rare meteorological double whammy. There have been eight Western Disturbances across northern India in just two months, mainly March and early April, meteorologists say, significantly more than the average of 2–3 systems over that transition period. Current low-pressure systems with clouds, rain, hail and cool air masses come from the Mediterranean basin and are moving towards the east.

These southwesterly winds have brought additional moisture from the warmer-than-normal Arabian Sea into these disturbances. This has added more rain, persistent cloud cover and stronger thunderstorms, which have cooled daytime temperatures and reinforced a cycle of unseasonal chill and wet spells.

However, Western Disturbances refer to those extratropical storms which typically only peak in winter but have been more active and diverse in recent years. Experts attribute the surge to the effects of climate change, such as shifting Arctic jet stream patterns and a weakened polar circulation. Research, including studies by Kieran Hunt et al. (2024–2025) and others, reports that warming oceans and changes to the subtropical westerly jet are allowing these systems to persist longer into spring, where some systems can be enhanced in response to local moisture.

Eight instances were observed in March 2026 alone, with eight WDs recorded, exceeding the expected five to six WDs, with others extending into April. During today’s active period (peaking with rain on April 7–10), there has been massive rain, hailstorms, strong winds and fresh snow in higher Himalayan reaches such as Lahaul-Spiti and Kullu. IMD forecasting and ECMWF models for dry spells are correct, as some places actually showed 8–15°C sudden temperature drops within a few days.

Even when it comes to more recent individual weather patterns, the one-off nature of the event fits neatly into larger patterns of rising variability in Western Disturbances. The most recent research also illustrates how Arctic warming and jet stream meandering are allowing more frequent dips into the south, producing irregular spring weather in South Asia. Higher Arabian Sea surface temperatures are increasing moisture availability as well, strengthening these systems.

These active WDs have also shown the potential for above-average precipitation for April in some northwest regions of India, as reported by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Still, this reprieve from early heat will not last; once the current system has weakened, temperatures are anticipated to bounce back strongly, possibly resulting in a tight and harsh heat wave later in April and May.