The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its latest weather forecast issued on Friday (January 26) informed that dense to very dense fog is expected to persist over Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh for the next three days, while Uttar Pradesh is likely to experience similar conditions over the next five days, gradually improving thereafter. 

Additionally, North India is expected to continue facing cold day to severe cold day conditions for the next two days, with a subsequent decrease in intensity. 

Moreover, the weather office has also issued red and orange alerts for cold day in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Additionally, IMD has issued yellow alert for cold wave conditions in parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand and several northeastern states. 

The Met Office predicted a partly cloudy sky and moderate fog in the national capital on Saturday morning, with expected maximum and minimum temperatures around 20 and 5 degrees Celsius, respectively. 

IMD issues yellow alert for cold wave in Odisha

IMD issued a cold wave warning for parts of Odisha, indicating a chilly spell over the next two days. The Regional Meteorological Centre’s senior weather scientist, Uma Shakhar Dash, mentioned that cold and dry winds from the north-western direction were contributing to the expected cold wave conditions in a few districts of north interior Odisha. The IMD issued a yellow warning for districts including Sundergarh, Jharsuguda, Deogarh, Keonjhar, and Angul.

The minimum temperature is expected to remain relatively stable for the next three days, followed by a gradual rise of 2-3 degrees Celsius thereafter. Notably, the mercury dropped to 6 degrees Celsius at Kirei in Sundergarh over the last 24 hours, and several other locations, including Rourkela, Jharsuguda, and Angul, recorded night temperatures below 12 degrees Celsius. 

Cold day warning 

According to IMD, cold day to severe cold day conditions across is likely to persist in various regions from January 27-30, with a particular focus on Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Isolated pockets in West Rajasthan are also projected to experience these intense cold conditions from January 27-28. Furthermore, isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, East Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand are likely to witness cold day conditions on January 27. 

Dense fog conditions

Dense fog conditions are expected in the morning hours in isolated pockets of Rajasthan from January 27-29. Additionally, on January 27 and 28, similar conditions are expected in Uttarakhand, West Madhya Pradesh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, Odisha, Assam & Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura. 

Dense to very dense fog conditions are also likely during the night and morning hours in most of Uttar Pradesh, certain areas of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh, along with isolated pockets in Bihar till January 31.