As winter takes a firm hold on the Indian subcontinent, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has given a thorough weather update, emphasizing the ongoing cold wave and predicting its continuation in several states.
In many parts of Punjab and some areas of Haryana-Chandigarh, temperatures have dropped to a bone-chilling 2-5°C, while regions like Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, north Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and north Chhattisgarh are experiencing temperatures in the range of 6-10°C. These temperatures are 1-3°C below the usual for this time of year.
The IMD explains that the cold conditions are due to jet stream winds at high altitudes, causing cold air to sink over the plains of North India. This phenomenon is expected to last for the next five days, keeping the cold wave strong.
The forecast also mentions the possibility of light rainfall and snowfall in the higher regions of Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand on January 17. Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, West Bengal, Sikkim, and Northeast India may experience light to moderate rainfall between January 17 and 18, with isolated hailstorms in Sikkim on January 17.
Dense fog warnings are issued for various areas, with Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and parts of Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal likely to have very dense fog during the late night and early morning hours.
The IMD predicts continued cold conditions in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh until January 21, and similar conditions in isolated pockets of West and East Uttar Pradesh, northwest Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
A gradual rise in minimum temperatures by about 2-4°C is expected over the next two days in Northwest India and East India. However, the cold wave is likely to persist in many parts of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, West Uttar Pradesh, and north Rajasthan.
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