The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of a cold wave and fog across North India in the New Year. While cold wave conditions are likely in isolated pockets of Punjab and Haryana till January 2, Jharkhand will also experience a significant drop in temperatures, with the mercury expected to dip by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius over the next two days.
The IMD has also predicted fog and low clouds over south J&K, Punjab, south Himachal Pradesh, south Uttarakhand, north & east Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, north Chhattisgarh, north Odisha, Assam, west Meghalaya and Tripura.
While the temperatures will remain constant in the Western Himalayan regions, they are expected to drop by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius in the central and east Indian states.
VIDEO | IMD scientist Naresh Kumar updates on expected weather in north India, he informs, "There is a western disturbance in north Pakistan and adjoining areas, its impact will be there in western Himalayas in next 2-3 days, there would be snowfall. There would be active western… pic.twitter.com/qX5ThVryLq
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 31, 2024
In Jammu and Kashmir, the cold wave has intensified with Srinagar city recording minus 3.5 as the minimum temperature on Tuesday. The situation is likely to remain the same for the next four to eight days. From January 1, two Western Disturbances (WD) in quick succession are likely to affect the state and adjoining areas.
IMD scientist Soma Sen Roy said that the previous western disturbance had moved away, easing cold wave conditions across north India, though they persist in the western Himalayan region. “We had severe weather on December 27-28, followed by cold wave and fog conditions. However, the absence of strong winds has halted the cold wave, transitioning the situation to cold day conditions," Roy added.
In Delhi, the weather agency predicted that the temperature will range between 9 and 11 degrees Celsius, with the maximum between 15 and 18 degrees Celsius. It also predicted "shallow fog" on Tuesday.
A strong subtropical westerly jet stream with winds up to 278 km/h has been prevailing over northwest India, which has significantly impacted atmospheric conditions. The prolonged dry weather over the last two months, especially in Punjab and Haryana, has also contributed to the cold wave conditions. This also affected the rainfall, with both states receiving only 18 per cent of normal rainfall. The lack of rainfall reduced soil moisture, intensifying the cooling effect during clear nights.
