IMD forecasts western disturbance impact from 26 January: multi-state alerts for snow, hail and storms
A fresh western disturbance is expected to affect north, northwest and central India from 26 January, with the IMD flagging chances of rain, snowfall, hailstorms, thunderstorms, gusty winds and low visibility in some areas. The most intense conditions are forecast around 27–28 January, with travel disruption risks.
What IMD is warning about
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast a fresh spell of unsettled weather beginning 26 January 2026, driven by an approaching western disturbance. The system is expected to bring rain and snowfall across the western Himalayan region, and thunderstorms, hail and gusty winds in parts of the plains and central India.
According to the forecast details, the strongest activity is expected around 27–28 January, with heavy snow/rain at isolated locations in parts of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, and thunderstorm/hail activity extending to neighbouring regions.
Likely impacts across regions
- Mountains: fresh snowfall and possible road-connectivity disruption in higher reaches and passes.
- Plains: thunderstorms with lightning, hail and gusty winds in pockets; low visibility due to fog in some areas.
- Coastal waters: squally conditions and rough seas forecast in parts of the far south, affecting small fishing operations.
IMD also flagged dense to very dense fog in pockets over parts of north India around 25–26 January, along with cold-wave conditions in isolated pockets, which can create compounding risks for road travel and rail/air schedules.
Why this fits ‘tech’
Weather forecasting is a high-impact public utility powered by monitoring networks, modelling and data dissemination. For citizens and businesses, IMD’s alerts function like critical information infrastructure—enabling safer travel planning, logistics decisions and disaster-preparedness in the peak winter season.
Over the next 48–72 hours, the operational focus will be on timely advisories, real-time updates and coordination by local administrations in hill states and fog-prone plains.