The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a Yellow Alert on March 14 for unseasonal rainfall, thunderstorms, and hailstorm activity across North India, effective for March 15 and 16, 2026, according to the IMD’s official night bulletin issued at 20:02 hours IST on March 14 and a press release issued the same day.
The alert covers Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh, where isolated light rainfall and gusty winds of 30 to 50 kilometres per hour are forecast. Isolated hailstorms are likely in eastern Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand on both March 15 and 16, according to the IMD bulletin. Arunachal Pradesh is forecast to receive heavy rainfall and snowfall, with the potential for localised disruptions.
A Western Disturbance interacting with moisture from the Bay of Bengal is identified by the IMD as the meteorological trigger for this weather system. The disturbance is expected to affect the Western Himalayan region and adjoining plains between March 15 and 20.
In Delhi and the National Capital Region, conditions are forecast as partly cloudy with winds of up to 20 kilometres per hour and maximum temperatures in the range of 31 to 33 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD’s local weather report. Odisha is under a separate alert for heat wave conditions followed by thunderstorm activity in Jharsuguda and Sambalpur districts.
Agricultural Risk
The hailstorm forecast carries particular significance for the agriculture sector. Rabi crops — the winter-sown harvest that includes wheat, mustard, and pulses — are currently standing in fields across Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh in the pre-harvest period. Hailstorm damage to standing crops at this stage can result in significant yield loss. India’s agriculture and allied sectors recorded a GVA growth rate of 3.7% in Q3 FY26, according to the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation, and any weather-related crop damage could weigh on the sector’s output in the current quarter.
The IMD also forecasts a gradual decline in maximum temperatures of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius across northwest India over the next six days, according to the March 14 bulletin, which may provide some relief from an early onset of heat in parts of Rajasthan and Haryana. A Yellow Alert indicates that citizens and local authorities should “be aware” of the forecast and prepared for potential disruption. It is the second of four alert levels in the IMD’s colour-coded warning system.
