Tag: Weather News

Uttarakhand Issues Orange Alert for Medium-Level Avalanche Risk

Uttarakhand faces fresh danger after heavy rain and snow.

The Uttarakhand State Disaster Management Authority (USDMA) issued an orange alert on Wednesday. It warns of medium-level avalanche risk in high-altitude areas. The alert covers the next 24 hours.

Overnight snowfall blocked key routes. Heavy snow closed the Gangotri Highway in Uttarkashi district. Later, disaster teams and the Border Roads Organisation cleared the path.

Officials reopened the Gangotri Highway up to Sukki Top. Vehicles with snow chains can now proceed toward Gangotri. Similarly, workers cleared snow on the Yamunotri Highway up to Jan Ki Chatti. Both vital routes now carry traffic again.

The orange alert runs from 5:30 pm Wednesday to 5:30 pm Thursday. It applies to areas above 2,800 metres in Rudraprayag and Uttarkashi districts. Vulnerable spots include Purola, Barkot, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Sonprayag, and nearby areas.

Authorities urge residents and travellers to stay extremely cautious. Snow slides remain a real threat.

Uttarkashi, Chamoli, and Rudraprayag districts fall under Category-3 (orange) alert. The Defence Geo-Informatics Research Establishment (DGRE) reports deep, unstable snow. This accumulation raises the risk of natural avalanches reaching valley floors.

Pithoragarh sits in yellow (Category-2) with unstable slopes and small avalanche chances. Bageshwar remains in green (Category-1) where conditions stay mostly stable.

Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman directed district magistrates to keep close watch. All departments stay vigilant in sensitive zones.

Uttarakhand recorded massive rainfall in the last 24 hours. The state received 20.4 mm—a whopping 1,348% above normal. Bageshwar topped with 36.2 mm, followed by Nainital (32.4 mm) and Udham Singh Nagar (19.1 mm).

Higher areas saw fresh snowfall too. Shama and Munsiyari got 5 cm each. Jan Ki Chatti and Surkanda Ji recorded 3.5 cm.

Temperatures dropped sharply across the state. Isolated thunderstorms and hail hit several places. Fog may appear in valleys this week.

IMD predicts light to moderate rain and snow in hilly districts. Minimum temperatures will fall further by 3–5°C in plains and 1–2°C in hills over the next two days.

No cold wave warning exists yet. However, travellers should avoid high-risk zones right now.

Stay safe. Check updates before heading to the hills.

Delhi-NCR Weather Update: Rain, Hailstorm Bring Relief from Pollution

Noida experienced rain and a hailstorm on Tuesday evening. The sudden change provided marginal relief from severe pollution. Citizens welcomed the unexpected drizzle warmly.

Earlier that morning, parts of Delhi-NCR received light to moderate rainfall. Showers swept across several areas quickly.

The India Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert for Delhi. IMD predicted thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) during Tuesday evening and night. Meanwhile, an orange alert covers almost all Delhi-NCR regions. Hailstorms loom over Noida, Gurugram, Faridabad, and Ghaziabad.

Heavy rain disrupted traffic in Noida and Greater Noida during the day. Jams formed on routes from Mahamaya Flyover to Delhi. Congestion also hit areas near Dalit Prerna Sthal and Film City.

Air quality improved noticeably after Friday’s showers. Delhi recorded an AQI of 242 on January 24. Dense fog blanketed the region afterward. Thick layers gripped many parts of Delhi-NCR.

IMD forecasts generally cloudy skies ahead. Moderate morning fog persists. Strong surface winds blow at 10-20 kmph. Minimum temperatures will drop 5-6°C over the next three days. A gradual rise follows thereafter.

No major warning stands for Wednesday yet. Residents should stay alert for sudden changes.

Meanwhile, fresh snowfall disrupts life in Kashmir. Heavy accumulation blocks highways and affects rail and flight operations. A special train now operates for tourists in the region.

Delhi-NCR residents enjoy brief respite from smog. Weather patterns shift rapidly. Monitor updates closely for the next few days.

Warming Oceans Push Whales to Rewrite Their Diets

Climate change is reshaping life in the oceans. Now, scientists say whales are changing how they eat and share food. The shift reveals how warming seas are altering entire marine food webs.

A new study draws on 28 years of data from the Gulf of St. Lawrence in the North Atlantic. Researchers examined more than 1,100 tissue samples from fin, humpback, and minke whales. They used stable isotope analysis to reconstruct diets across nearly three decades.

The results appear in Frontiers in Marine Science. They show that rising sea temperatures and changing ice conditions reduced the availability of traditional prey. As a result, whales adjusted both their feeding habits and how they divide resources.

Shaping Diets Over Time

In the 1990s, fin whales fed mostly on Arctic krill. This tiny, shrimp-like creature thrives in cold waters. However, warming seas reduced krill populations over time.

Consequently, whales began turning to fish. Species such as capelin, herring, mackerel, and sand lance became more important. Today, these fish form a key part of the diet for all three whale species studied.

Lead author Charlotte Tessier-Larivière from the Maurice Lamontagne Institute explains the change. She notes that increased “resource partitioning” suggests rising competition. In simple terms, whales are adjusting how they share limited food.

Moreover, the overlap in what each species eats has shifted over the years. Earlier, minke whales shared more of their feeding niche with others. Later, that overlap decreased as conditions changed.

This pattern points to a rebalancing of feeding behaviour. Whales are spreading out across different food sources to reduce competition.

Adapting to a Changing Ocean

These changes did not happen overnight. Instead, they unfolded gradually as ocean temperatures climbed. Reduced ice cover also altered where prey species could thrive.

Therefore, whales responded by becoming more flexible in their diets. They adapted to new prey as old sources declined. This flexibility may help them survive in a rapidly warming ocean.

At the same time, it shows how deeply climate change is altering marine ecosystems. A shift in tiny krill populations can ripple upward to the largest animals on Earth.

Why This Matters

Whales sit at the top of the marine food chain. Because of this, they act as indicators of ocean health. When their diets change, it signals deeper shifts below the surface.

This study offers a rare long-term view of those changes. Few datasets track marine feeding patterns across nearly 30 years. As a result, scientists can clearly see how climate pressure reshapes behaviour over time.

The findings show that climate change is not just warming the ocean. It is rearranging who eats what, and where. From prey distribution to predator behaviour, the entire system is adjusting.

In the end, whales are telling a larger story. They show how marine life is coping with rising temperatures and human pressures. Their changing diets map the hidden transformation of the seas.

A magnitude 2.8 earthquake struck Bhutan on Sunday, with a shallow depth of 10 km, making aftershocks likely. The National Center for Seismology (NCS) reported the quake hit at 11:11:35 IST, with the location at Lat: 27.14 N, Long: 89.02 E.

This follows a January 7 earthquake of magnitude 3.8 in the region, also at a depth of 10 km. Shallow earthquakes like these can cause stronger ground shaking. They can cause more damage due to the shorter distance seismic waves travel to the surface.

Bhutan is prone to natural hazards, being in the young Himalayan Mountains, a highly seismically active zone. The country falls within seismic zones IV and V, the most active zones. It faces risks from Glacier Lake Outburst Floods (GLOFs), strong winds, landslides, flash floods, and fires.

The 2011 and 2013 windstorms caused significant damage to rural homes. Bhutan’s location and past earthquakes show earthquakes are a major threat.