Northern India under grip of cold wave: Orange alert for Delhi; Punjab, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh to face dense fog

A severe cold wave wiped through Delhi as well as other parts of north India on Monday morning with the minimum temperature being recorded at the Safdarjung observatory, which is the city’s base station. According to a media report, the temperature went down to 1.4 degrees Celsius which has been the lowest since January 1, 2020.

At the same time, the temperature at Lodhi Road weather station, where the headquarters for the India Meteorological Department (IMD) is situated, recorded a minimum temperature of 1.6 degrees Celsius.

According to IMD, there will be a fall in the minimum temperature recorded by almost 2 degrees Celsius over the northern and central parts of India from January 17. From January 18-20, the temperature will rise by 3-5 degree Celsius.  

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Reason behind sudden cold wave

As per IMD’s bulletin, which was recently released on Sunday, a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect the Western Himalayan region on the night of January 18 which will bring light to moderate rainfall or snowfall over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

ALSO READ | Wondering why it never snows in Delhi even when the city is colder than many hill stations? Here’s the answer

What is western disturbance?  

As per a report by The Indian Express, it is an extra-tropical weather system which originates in the Mediterranean Sea and brings rain or snowfall to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent.

Here is a list of all the northern cities which are currently experiencing a cold wave:

Delhi: The IMD had previously issued an orange warning for a cold wave in the capital till January 17-18. Delhi already saw an intense cold wave spell from January 5 to January 9, which has been the second-longest month in a decade, as per data from IMD.

Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh: There are expectations of dense fog during early morning hours in these states for the next five days. Delhi is also expected to experience the same, reported IE.  

Punjab’s Faridkot recently recorded a temperature of 1 degree Celsius, and Amritsar a minimum of 1.6 degrees Celsius. Ludhiana, Patiala, Pathankot, Bathinda and Gurdaspur are also experiencing a heavy cold wave, reported PTI.  

Kashmir: People in Kashmir had to settle for temperatures below the freezing point. Srinagar recorded a temperature of 0.6 degrees Celsius last week. Last week was one of the coldest days ever recorded in Jammu and Kashmir.

Mumbai: People in Mumbai woke up to one of the coldest days of this season on Sunday. The minimum temperature at the Santacruz observatory of the India Meteorological Department was 13.8 degrees Celsius.

ALSO READ | Explained: Why is Delhi-NCR witnessing three days of intense cold waves? Know the reasons here