An active western disturbance will bring rain to 18 states across India over the next several days, the weather department has warned.

Heavy rain is expected in Ladakh, Jammu and Kashmir and Muzaffarabad between October 6 and 9. Strong winds will hit Ramban, Baramulla, Shopian, Kulgam, Bandipora, Kupwara and Anantnag. Higher-altitude areas may see snowfall.

Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will be affected from October 6 to 11. Rain is likely in Manali, Kullu, Shimla, Chamba and Mandi. Uttarakhand districts including Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag and Chamoli are under storm, strong wind and lightning warnings.

Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh may see rain between October 6 and 11. Western Uttar Pradesh will get rain too, while eastern UP sees showers from October 6 to 10. Winds of 50 to 60 kilometres per hour are possible in Purvanchal.

Cities on watch include Aligarh, Kanpur, Lucknow, Noida, Ghaziabad and Gorakhpur. In the south, Kerala and Tamil Nadu have heavy rain and lightning warnings.