New Delhi, Feb 1 (IANS): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday said that a wet spell over northwest India is likely to continue during next 24 hours, and thereafter another spell is likely to affect the region on Saturday and February 5.

It further said that a Western Disturbance as a trough in middle tropospheric westerlies is running roughly along longitude 72 degrees east to the north of latitude 30 degrees north with an induced cyclonic circulation over northwest Rajasthan and neighbourhood in lower tropospheric level.

"Another Western Disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from Saturday," the IMD said in its daily bulletin.

"Under the influence of these systems, light/moderate fairly widespread to widespread rainfall/snowfall is very likely over Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand till February 5," it said.

The IMD further predicted that isolated heavy rainfall/snowfall is also likely over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Thursday while light/moderate scattered to fairly widespread rainfall is very likely over Punjab, Chandigarh, Haryana, Delhi and isolated to scattered rainfall over Uttar Pradesh, and east Rajasthan on Thursday.

"Light/moderate isolated to scattered rainfall is very likely over the above regions on Saturday and Sunday," the IMD said.

Isolated hailstorm is also likely over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, west Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, and over west Rajasthan on Saturday and over east Rajasthan on Sunday," it said.

The IMD also predicted that strong and chilly surface winds of the order of 30-40 kmph are very likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and west Uttar Pradesh on Saturday.

"Light/moderate scattered to fairly widespread rainfall/snowfall is very likely over Arunachal Pradesh during next five days and isolated to scattered rainfall over West Bengal & Sikkim, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Manipur and Tripura till Friday," it said.