As northwest India continues to witness an extreme cold wave with temperatures dropping to below 2 degrees Celcius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted that the temperatures would rise by Thursday.
According to the IMD, two western disturbances in quick successions are likely to affect Northwestern India on Wednesday and Friday, reported ANI.
A western disturbance is a weather system characterised by warm moist winds from the Middle East. When it approaches a region, the wind direction changes and the chilly northwesterly winds from the mountains stop blowing, resulting in temperature rise.
As a result the cold wave conditions would improve from Thursday. The temperature is expected rise by 4-6 degrees Celsius between Thursday and Saturday.
Experts predict the fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect Western Himalayan region from Wednesday night. This may cause a light, moderate and isolated rainfall and snowfall over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand regions till Friday. Another active Western Disturbance in quick succession is likely to affect Western Himalayan Region from Friday night and adjoining plains of northwest India from Sunday.
It said cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are very likely over many parts of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi till Tuesday and thereafter in isolated pockets on Wednesday.
The IMD also forecast cold wave conditions in isolated pockets over Uttar Pradesh and Bihar between Tuesday and Thursday; over Himachal Pradesh, Saurashtra and Kutch on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Ground frost conditions in isolated places are very likely over Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and west Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday and Wednesday, the IMD added.
Delhi's temperature plunged to below 1.4 degrees Celsius on Monday. The IMD had also predicted that the mercury may dip to 1 degree Celsius on Tuesday and if that happens, it would be the lowest minimum temperature in at least 15 years in the city.
Meanwhile, Mahesh Palawat, a senior meteorologist at Skymet Weather, said there has been heavy snowfall in the Himalayan region due to a strong western disturbance and cold northwesterly winds started sweeping the plains after the WD retreated on January 14. "The sharp dip in the temperature is due to clear skies which allowed the infrared radiation (heat from the sun) to escape back into space at night," he told PTI.