Cold winter has returned to the Northwest India along with a thick layer of fog that enveloped the Indo-Gangetic plains on Tuesday. The conditions are likely to continue over the next three days at least, with high moisture and light winds prevailing over the region, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The entire region from Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh extending up to the national capital Delhi and Uttar Pradesh is now covered with fog as seen from the satellite images. The fog has been so dense, that the visibility levels dropped to near zero in Punjab’s Bathinda district on Tuesday morning while it was 25 meters in Patiala, Amritsar, Delhi’s Palam as well as Lucknow.
Delhi, which saw the sunniest days this December, is now experiencing the first glimpse of winter. While the skies are mostly clear, the minimum temperatures in the capital have plummeted to 6-7℃ (1-2 ℃ below normal), and the day temperature are settling at 21-23℃, which are still slightly above-normal.
Chilly Days Ahead in Punjab, Haryana
Foggy conditions have been accompanied by a fall in the mercury levels across the northwest region, which has been witnessing a not so-cold winter till now. The dry north/north-westerly winds blowing from the Himalayas are bringing the temperatures down.
The hill state of Himachal Pradesh is already in the grip of a cold wave, and is likely to remain so over the next few days as well. Sub-zero temperatures are being recorded in the higher reaches of Kinnaur and Manali while it is settling at around 5-6℃ in hill stations like Shimla and Dalhousie.
The weather department has also issued a cold wave warning that might turn severe in some parts of Punjab, Haryana as well as north Rajasthan over the next 4-5 days. Bathinda in Punjab recorded the lowest minimum temperature of the day at 3.4 ℃ on Monday.
IMD declares cold wave in the plains when night temperatures are less than normal by 4.5 to 6.4℃.
No Winter Rains Anytime Soon
Unlike the southern peninsula, where the temperatures have dropped drastically over the last week due to rains, Northwest India had so far been witnessing a normal to above-normal temperatures. While the exact reason is yet to be ascertained, meteorologists had mainly attributed it to lack of active western disturbances this season. These systems are known to bring snowfall in the hills, and rains in the plains during the winter months.
The latest forecast also rules out any rainy days over the northern region at least till December 24, and the weather is likely to remain dry. No major change is expected in the minimum temperatures as well over the next few days.
Meanwhile, Ladakh on Monday recorded the lowest minimum temperature of -19.8 ℃ followed by -5.4 ℃ at Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir and -5.9℃ in higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh.
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