Continued Cold Wave Conditions in North Indian States
News from the source of Reader Wall states that northern parts of India continue to experience cold wave conditions paired with dense fog. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) suggests the current weather pattern will carry on until January 27th.
Current Weather Status of the Capital
On Tuesday, Delhi, the capital city, registered a minimum temperature of 6.9 degrees Celsius, a tad lower than the seasonal average. The visibility at Safdarjung, Palam, and Ayanagar had significant reductions, with lingering hazy conditions. Forecast beings to predict moderate fog till January 26 in the national capital, foggy conditions are expected to remain till January 27 and 28.
Record Chilly Days in Delhi
So far in January, Delhi experienced five cold days and five cold wave days, a 13-year record high, as mentioned by IMD data. A cold wave is officially declared when the minimum temperature, which falls below 10°C over plains, is 4.5 to 6.4°C below normal or the actual minimum temperature is less than 4°C. If the minimum temperature is over 6.5°C below normal or less than 2 degrees C, it is categorised as a severe cold wave.
Airport and Train Delays
Tuesday also saw disarray in flight and train operations due to the adverse weather conditions. Over 150 flights were delayed at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport owing to the fog, however, only seven of these were cancelled. According to Northern Railways, many trains including major ones like the Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express encountered between two to five-hour delays.
Cold Conditions in Other States
Rajasthan, another north Indian state, was also significantly affected with severe cold conditions and widespread fog, especially in Alwar where the temperature dropped to 2.5 degrees Celsius. IMD forecasts that severe cold conditions will last in West Rajasthan on Wednesday. Similarly, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh will also experience dense fog for several hours during the night and morning till January 27. Bihar is projected to have thick fog until Thursday morning, continuing for the next three days in isolated areas.
Weather Challenges in Uttarakhand and Jammu Division
In Uttarakhand, cold to severe cold conditions are predicted for isolated pockets, along with cold day conditions in certain areas on Wednesday. On Monday, IMD reported shallow fog disrupting visibility in places such as the Jammu Division, Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand. Many locations faced reduced visibility with Jammu Division at 500 meters, Patiala in Punjab at 50 meters, Delhi at 500 meters affecting flight operations, and Varanasi and Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh struggling with 25-meter and 50-meter visibility, respectively.
