Erratic Weather in March, Causes and Impact on Agriculture

Table of Contents

Context: The month of March 2026 has witnessed a sharp “weather seesaw.”

Cause of Erratic Weather in March

Phase 1 (The Dry Heat): From November 2025 to early March 2026, WDs were subdued in frequency and intensity, causing a “snow drought” and record-high early March temperatures.
Phase 2 (The Break): This trend broke abruptly on March 13 and 18, when two successive, high-intensity WDs struck the region, clashing with the pre-existing heat.

Lower Tropospheric Cyclonic Circulation: A prolonged low-pressure system existed over the region.
Moisture Incursion: Strong south-westerly winds pumped in massive amounts of moisture from the Bay of Bengal.
Wind Confluence: The meeting of these moist, warm winds with cold winds from the Western Disturbances over Central and Northwest India led to high instability, resulting in hail and lightning.

North & Northwest: Heavy snowfall in the Himalayas and hailstorms in Punjab/Haryana.
East & Northeast: Activation of Kalbaisakhi (Nor’westers)—local thunderstorms that intensified due to the WD-Bay of Bengal confluence.
South Peninsula: Rare hailstorms in districts like Raichur (Karnataka), where moisture from the Arabian Sea met the southward extent of the WD influence.

Wheat Crop: While the rain has provided a “rescue” for the wheat crop in Punjab by cooling down the temperatures during the grain-filling stage, excessive hail remains a threat to standing crops.
Horticulture: In Himachal and Uttarakhand, the early heat followed by sudden hail can damage stone fruits (peaches, plums) and apple blossoms.

Western disturbances

Origin: Non-monsoonal, extratropical cyclonic systems originating from the Mediterranean region
Travel Path: They move eastward across Iraq, Iran, and Afghanistan, picking up moisture from the Mediterranean, Black, Caspian, and Arabian Seas before reaching the Indian subcontinent.
Impact:
- They produce snowfall in the Himalayas and light-to-moderate rain in the plains, often referred to as “Mahawat“.
- Sometimes, it causes extreme weather like heavy rain, landslides, hailstorms, and thick fog

Western Disturbance