Severe cold wave grips North India, no relief till Tuesday
Delhi and several parts of North India are currently facing harsh cold wave conditions, with temperatures dropping below average. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted that the cold and thick fog would persist in the region until Tuesday (January 9). Severe cold day conditions have been reported in parts of Haryana, Rajasthan, Punjab, Delhi, and Madhya Pradesh. Meanwhile, the weather department also predicted light rainfall in the national capital on Tuesday.
Why does this story matter?
The Indo-Gangetic Plain has experienced low cloud cover, long periods of fog, and low temperatures since the end of December. Although the situation has relatively improved, transportation in northern India has been severely hampered, mainly due to near-zero visibility. However, the IMD said southern peninsular India and northeastern India will continue to have warm days in January.
Moderate fog in Delhi, day temperature 5 notches below normal
Delhi witnessed another "cold day" on Friday with a maximum temperature of 14.6 degrees Celsius, five degrees below normal, per the IMD. On Saturday morning, the national capital witnessed moderate fog while the minimum temperature settled at 8.9 degrees Celsius, two notches above the season's average. Moderate fog has also been observed in isolated areas of Punjab, Haryana, East Uttar Pradesh, Assam, and Meghalaya. No significant change in minimum temperatures is expected in North India over the next five days.
Cold conditions to continue in these states
Moreover, the IMD anticipated dense to very dense fog during nighttime and morning hours in some areas or isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and East Rajasthan until Sunday. Dense fog is also predicted for isolated pockets in West Uttar Pradesh and West Rajasthan from January 6-8 and in East Uttar Pradesh from Saturday to Tuesday. Dense fog conditions are expected in West Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Odisha until Sunday.
Poor visibility delays trains, flights
Poor visibility caused by fog delayed 14 Delhi-bound trains on Saturday, The Indian Express reported. Several flights were also canceled at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport owing to poor visibility. At 5:30am, visibility was 500 meters at Safdarjung, Delhi's major meteorological station, and Palam. With no major change in minimum temperatures forecast over the next five days, residents are asked to take the appropriate steps to be warm and safe during this cold period.
