recovery... (am.7.apr.11)>

skies are mostly clear just before sunrise this morning, with a chilly temp of 51.3F (10.7C).  although we had a few more sprinkles and light showers since the last evening's report... it seems that additional rainfall was 0.01" or less.

it looks like we'll be getting a much deserved reprieve during the next couple of days... in the form of a higher percentage of sunshine and more comfortable temperatures.  the most recent upper-level disturbance (and its associated pool of COLD air) is shifting east of us... so we will be "in between" weather systems until sometime on saturday.  we still can't rule out a random shower, but things will be much-improved.

however, the next storm system will be edging its way toward northern india just in time for the latter half of the weekend... bringing us an increasing chance of showers and thunderstorms once again.  it will also stall our warming trend before temperatures can safely get back to normal for early april...

THURSDAY: much better!  sunny to partly cloudy skies... with just a slight chance of a brief PM shower.
high: 20C (68F)

THURSDAY NIGHT: partly cloudy skies.  not as cool.
low: 13C (55F)

FRIDAY: a mix of sun and clouds... comfortable temps.
high: 22C (71F)

SATURDAY: partly cloudy, with a chance of a late-day thundershower.
high: 22C (72F)

SUNDAY: partly to mostly cloudy with a good chance of a couple of showers and/or thunderstorms.
high: 22C (71F)

MONDAY: mostly cloudy and cooler, with some showers and thundershowers likely.
high: 20C (68F)

what happened to spring?... (pm.6.apr.11)>

skies are cloudy just before sunset, after a day featuring 95% clouds, chilly winds, a few showers, and a high temp of only 61.7F (16.5C).  today's high was the same as i recorded back on the 12th of march!  0.05" (1mm) of rain fell here at the top of mcleod ganj, and also down near the main temple... bringing my total 24 hour rainfall up to 0.15" (4mm).

our recent weather is starting to pass from abnormal into the range of ridiculous.  so far, our april temps have been way below the average... and the percentage of sunshine has been sub-par as well.  we have a very active upper-air pattern and strong jetstream to thank for that.  there are hints of improvement for tomorrow into saturday, as temperatures moderate a bit and sunshine potential increases... but then more disturbed weather looks headed our way for the latter half of the weekend, into early next week.

the overall synopsis calls for temperatures to remain below normal, with a greater percentage of clouds and higher chance of showers than is normal for april... for the next week, at least. check the SUMMER OUTLOOK tab above, for an idea of what a typical april in mcleod ganj is like!

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: mostly cloudy with a few sprinkles and light showers.  becoming partly cloudy by morning.
low: 12C (53F)

THURSDAY: partly cloudy and not as cool, with only a slight chance of a shower.
high: 21C (69F)

FRIDAY: a mix of sun and clouds, with pleasant temps.
high: 22C (71F)

SATURDAY: partly cloudy with a chance of a thundershower by late afternoon.
high: 22C (72F)

SUNDAY: partly to mostly cloudy skies, with a good chance of some showers and thunderstorms.
high: 22C (71F)

MONDAY: mostly cloudy and cooler again... a few showers and thundershowers likely.
high: 20C (68F)

a blustery, gloomy start... (am.6.apr.11)>

dare i say it's a gloomy morning?  cloudy, gusty winds, cool, with some light showers around the area.  i have a current pre-sunrise temp of 53.1F (11.7C), and 0.10" (2.5mm) in the rain gauge, which includes last evening's thundershowers.  it looks like there has been some light snow accumulations up towards triund since about 5pm yesterday... an indication of how cold it is in the upper atmosphere!!

the upper-air pattern continues to look like late winter... a very active jetstream is blowing across the western himalayas, carrying a series of upper level disturbances through the area.  there continues to be very little moisture available for fuel, so any showers will remain rather light.  tomorrow and friday, the jetstream will lift a bit further to the north, and that should finally allow a mini-warm-up to occur, and also bring a diminishing chance of showers.

unfortunately, yet another area of disturbed weather will approach over the coming weekend, increasing our chance of shower and thunderstorm action yet again... especially by sunday.  despite a minor warm-up, temperatures will remain below normal for this time of year...

WEDNESDAY: partly to mostly cloudy and breezy.  still a few showers and thundershowers around.
high: 19C (66F)

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: chance of a thundershower in the evening, then partly cloudy overnight.
low: 13C (55F)

THURSDAY: partly cloudy and not as cool.  just a slight chance of a brief thundershower.
high: 21C (70F)

FRIDAY: a mix of sun and clouds, with pleasant temps.
high: 22C (72F)

SATURDAY: partly cloudy with a slight chance of a late-day thundershower.
high: 22C (72F)

SUNDAY: partly to mostly cloudy with a better chance of a couple of showers and/or thunderstorms.
high: 22C (71F)

cool & showery... (pm.5.apr.11)>

skies are mostly cloudy this evening, with thundershowers rumbling across the area.  so far, there seems to have been only a few sprinkles, but heavier showers have begun even as i type this.  it was another in a string of unseasonably cool days, with a high temp of just 64.6F (18.1C) at the top of mcleod ganj just below the mountaineering center.

i am looking as hard as i can to come up with a positive spin to our recent (and continuing) weather pattern... but to be blunt, not much is going to change during the next several days.  although the upper atmosphere is expected to calm down a little bit during the latter part of the week, the patterns remain far from settled, and it even looks like there will be another disturbance moving in by saturday and sunday.  temperatures should warm up just a few degrees over the course of the next 5 days, but will likely remain below normal.

as we've seen, despite the clouds, occasional thunder and light sprinkles/showers, significant rainfall has eluded us... but a definitive turn to sunny skies will be elusive as well...

TUESDAY NIGHT: a few periods of thundershowers this evening, then partly cloudy overnight with a chance of another shower or two.
low: 11C (52F)

WEDNESDAY: partly cloudy skies, with a chance of another thundershower.
high: 20C (68F)

THURSDAY: partly cloudy and a bit warmer, with a slight chance of a PM thundershower.
high: 21C (70F)

FRIDAY: a mix of sun and clouds... pleasant temps.
high: 22C (72F)

SATURDAY: partly cloudy with a chance of afternoon thundershowers.
high: 22C (72F)

SUNDAY: partly to mostly cloudy with a good chance of a couple of showers or thunderstorms.
high: 22C (71F)