Some respite from coldwave on cards over north India till Dec 31, says IMD

Snow-covered Himalayas mountain range after fresh snowfall, seen from Shimla, Tuesday, Dec. 27, 2022. (PTI Photo)

“During the next two days, the minimum temperatures over northwest India will rise by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius,” the IMD said in its weather bulletin issued on Wednesday.

According to RK Jenamani, senior IMD scientist, the coldwave conditions that prevailed over these regions during December 19-26 had started showing signs of improvement since Tuesday.

Punjab | Dense fog envelops Amritsar as cold wave grips the city.

As per IMD, Amristar is to witness a minimum temperature of 6°C and a maximum temperature of 15°C with fog/mist in the morning and partly cloudy sky later pic.twitter.com/ZC2nVrQBKb

— ANI (@ANI) December 28, 2022

“On Wednesday, winds with a speed 15-20 kms/hr prevailed. Overall, the weather over northwest India is returning to normalcy,” he said.

The day temperatures, too, showed marked improvement with a rise by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius reported across over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and north Rajasthan.

However, in view of a fresh stream of western disturbance approaching northernmost regions of the country, coldwave conditions would return by Saturday, the IMD officials stated. There are chances of snowfall, which has largely been absent this winter so far, over the higher altitudes.

People walk amid dense fog on a cold winter morning, at Kartavya Path, India Gate, in New Delhi on Tuesday. (ANI Photo/ Amit Sharma)

In early January, the minimum temperatures will once again fall by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius over northwest India, by 3 to 5 degrees Celsius over northeast India. Cold day conditions are likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi during December 31 to January 1, the Met office has said in its forecast.

A woman basks her hands on bonfire to keep herself warm on a cold winter day, in Haridwar on Tuesday. (ANI Photo)

Meanwhile, it has been a warmer than usual winter season over central India, mainly Odisha, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra.

On Wednesday, Chandbali and Bhubaneswar in Odisha reported a positive departure from the normal by 8.5 degrees and 6.1 degrees, respectively. The minimum temperature (in degrees Celsius) here settled at 22 and 19.8, respectively.

Likewise in Maharashtra, the night temperatures over Nanded recorded 19.8 degrees Celsius (+7.1 degrees Celsius), Kolhapur reported 20 degrees Celsius (+5.2 degrees Celsius) and Pune stood at 15.3 degrees Celsius, which was 4.2 degrees above normal.