Much needed rain arrived across parts of Pakistan and the north of India during Friday bringing with it a marked drop in temperature.
Delhi:
For residents of Delhi, India, the arrival of the rain and cold in northern India on Friday night sprang a real surprise. After several weeks of experiencing some very mild weather they had been led into a false sense of security that winter might actually have ended. After experiencing temperatures in the high 20C’s earlier this week- up to 29C in Delhi on Tuesday, the thermometer took a sharp dip with the high on Saturday reaching just 17.2C. This was a good six degrees below the normal expected maxima .

Strong W.D. rains/snow all over North :
Kashmir:
Fresh Western Disturbances finally ended the two-month long dry spell, as the hills of H.P. and Kashmir experienced moderate to heavy snowfall, while plains, including the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, had rains.The famous ski resort of Gulmarg had also light snowfall, while upper reaches, including Affarwat and Khilanmarg, had about 6 inches to 1 feet of fresh snowfall, much to the delight of skiers and adventure lovers.About 6 inches to 1 feet of fresh snowfall was also recorded at holy Amarnath cave its periphery.Srinagar and other plain areas in the valley had rains since last evening, ending the two-month-long dry spell.A white carpet today greeted pilgrims at the world-famous Mata Vaishnodevi’s cave shrine on the Trikuta hills of Katra. Temperature at the shrine dropped as Trikuta hills received heavy snowfall last night.
Simla:
A blinding blizzard lashed the “queen of hills”,Simla, and mid-hill areas of the state today, paralysing normal life.
The snow-storm hit the region in the wee hours and continued till the evening. Simla and the surrounding areas donned an impeccable white mantle, much to the delight of the tourists and the locals who have been waiting for the elusive snowfall all through the winter.the city had received 71 cm of snow. The Jakhu peak and nearby tourist resort of Kufri were under knee-deep snow. The Hatu peak, overlooking the tourist resort of Narkanda, was under 90 cm of snow, while Churdhar and Rohtang Pass had over 100 cm of snow.

Punjab/Haryana:
Heavy rain, accompanied by thunder squalls, lashed Punjab and Haryana for the second consecutive day today, uprooting trees, snapping telecommunication lines and crippling normal life. Chandigarh received 63.5 mm of rainfall during the night and a thunder squall with a wind speed of 64.8 kmph hit the city.Ambala was the wettest place, recording 75.7 mm of rain.Amritsar was lashed by 21.2 mm of rainfall, Hoshiarpur 32 mm, Ludhiana 22.1 mm and Patiala 44.1 mm.
(Report from the Tribune).