Weather update: Cold wave likely over northwest India in next 4 days

The weather office stated that the maximum temperature dropped five notches below normal at many places in the national capital including Lodhi Road, Palam, Jafarpur and Mayur Vihar.

Some parts of the city were shallow fog wrapped in the morning, reducing visibility and affecting vehicular movement. A layer of ‘dense’ to ‘very dense’ fog over the Indo-Gangetic plains and adjoining central and eastern parts of the country affected rail and air traffic, as per PTI reports.

“Due to fog and low cloud cover, severe cold day conditions were observed over Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Cold day conditions were observed over some pockets of Delhi and isolated areas in Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh,” an IMD official said.

The foggy weather also affected at least 21 trains to Delhi by one-and-a-half to five hours, said an Indian Railways spokesperson. An official at the Indira Gandhi International Airport said five flights were diverted to Jaipur on Monday night due to bad weather in Delhi.

The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi’s primary weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 8.5 degrees Celsius — a notch above normal. The maximum temperature in the national capital settled at 16.1 degrees Celsius, a departure of three degrees from normal.

As per IMD forecast, ‘moderate’ to ‘dense’ fog is predicted in the national capital for the next two days, while cold wave conditions are set to return on the weekend and the mercury may drop to 4 degrees Celsius.

It also said ‘dense’ to ‘very dense’ fog and ‘cold day’ conditions are very likely to continue over northwest India during the next four to five days. This includes states like Delhi, Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab.

“Coldwave conditions are likely to continue over northwest India during the next three days,” it said, adding that some relief is expected thereafter.

In the plains, the weather office declares a cold wave if the minimum temperature dips to four degrees Celsius or is 10 degrees Celsius or below and 4.5 notches below normal.

(With PTI inputs)