Cold wave grips central, eastern India; dense fog likely to persist in north till Dec 16

Temperatures were mark­edly below normal (–5.1 degrees Celsius or less) at isolated places in Telangana, Chhattisgarh, west Madhya Pradesh and Odisha, and appreciably below normal (–3.1 to –5.0 degrees Celsius) across Maharashtra and pockets of MP, Telangana, Gangetic West Bengal and Assam & Meghalaya.

Cold wave warnings

The IMD said cold wave conditions are very likely on December 12-13 over Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, West Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh and Odisha, and December 12-14 over Telangana and north interior Karnataka.

Dense fog alerts

Dense to very dense fog is expected during morning hours in:

• Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi (December 12–16)
• Assam & Meghalaya, Himachal Pradesh (December 12–14)
• Odisha (December 12–13)
• Punjab (December 13–16)
• West Uttar Pradesh (December 12–13) and East UP (December 12–14)

Visibility dropped below 50 meters in isolated pockets of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday morning, the IMD said.

Temperature outlook

No major change in minimum temperatures is expected over northwest India for the next two days. A rise of 2–4 degrees Celsius is likely during the subsequent four days as a western disturbance approaches, followed by stable conditions.

Central India is expected to see a similar pattern: no significant change in the next 24 hours, then a 2-4 degrees Celsius rise over four days. Maharashtra will remain cold for two days before warming slightly.

Most other regions are likely to see stable temperatures through the week.