A biting cold wave continues to grip large parts of north India, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning that cold wave to severe cold wave conditions will persist over the next few days, accompanied by dense to very dense fog affecting morning visibility in several regions.
According to the IMD, states including Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are likely to experience cold wave to severe cold wave conditions on January 12 and 13, reported Economic Times.
Cold wave conditions are expected to linger in isolated pockets on January 14 before gradually easing. Dense fog is forecast to prevail during morning hours over northwest India and Bihar for the next five days, which could disrupt road, rail and air travel.
Haryana’s Gurugram and Punjab’s Bathinda recorded night temperatures of 0.6 degrees Celsius, making Sunday night the coldest of the season so far for both locations.
Severe cold conditions have swept across most parts of Punjab and Haryana, as well as their shared capital Chandigarh, over the past several days, with fog significantly reducing visibility.
In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a minimum of 1.1 degrees Celsius, Faridkot 1.8 degrees, Gurdaspur 2 degrees, Ludhiana 4.2 degrees, Patiala 4.3 degrees and Mansa 4.4 degrees. Chandigarh recorded a minimum temperature of 3.3 degrees Celsius.
Haryana also saw sharp drops in night temperatures. Narnaul emerged as the second-coldest place in the state at 1.2 degrees Celsius. Bhiwani recorded 1.5 degrees, Hisar 2.6 degrees, Karnal 3.5 degrees, Ambala 4.5 degrees and Rohtak 3.2 degrees Celsius.
Delhi experienced intense cold conditions, with several weather stations recording minimum temperatures of around 3 degrees Celsius, marking the coldest January day since 2023.
Data recorded at 8.30 am showed that the Safdarjung Observatory, the city’s principal weather station, registered a minimum temperature of 3.2 degrees Celsius, 4.2 degrees below normal.
The last time Delhi saw colder January conditions was on January 16, 2023, when the minimum temperature dropped to 1.4 degrees Celsius.
Cold conditions have also tightened their grip on the Kashmir Valley, where minimum temperatures remained below freezing in most areas. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius, reported Kashmir Life.
Colder conditions prevailed in south and north Kashmir, with Qazigund and Kupwara recording minus 3.6 degrees and minus 3.7 degrees, respectively. Tourist destinations Pahalgam and Gulmarg also saw sub-zero temperatures at minus 3.4 degrees.
Shopian and Pulwama were the coldest locations in the Valley, registering minus 5.2 degrees and minus 6.5 degrees Celsius.
In Himachal Pradesh, a change in weather is expected from January 16 with the activation of a western disturbance, reported Bhaskar English.
The IMD has forecast light snowfall in higher altitude areas of Chamba, Kinnaur, Lahaul-Spiti and Kullu districts over the next 48 hours.
Temperatures in these regions are already below freezing, and the cold wave is expected to intensify after the snowfall. Lower and mid-hill regions are likely to see clear weather.
An orange alert has been issued for cold wave conditions in Bilaspur and Hamirpur districts, while a yellow alert has been sounded for Una, Chamba, Kangra and Mandi districts. Severe cold is expected during early mornings, evenings and nights.
Rajasthan has also been battling intense cold over the past 24 hours, with several districts recording near-freezing night temperatures.
The Meteorological Department said night temperatures remained below 8 degrees Celsius in many areas, while isolated pockets experienced severe cold wave conditions.
Fatehpur in Sikar district was the coldest place in the state, recording a minimum temperature of minus 0.4 degrees Celsius. Lunkaransar in Bikaner recorded 0.4 degrees, followed by Churu at 1.3 degrees Celsius.