Anticipating no respite from bone-chilling weather in the coming week, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced on Monday that dense to very dense fog conditions are expected to persist over North India for the next 4-5 days. Additionally, cold day to severe cold day conditions will continue over the region for the next three days, gradually decreasing in intensity thereafter.
In its daily bulletin, the weather forecast agency highlighted the influence of "Jet Stream Winds" at an altitude of 12.6 km above mean sea level, with speeds ranging from 130-150 knots over the plains of North India. This phenomenon is causing the subsidence of cold air, intensifying cold wave and cold day conditions. The IMD forecasted that a similar intensity of Jet Stream is likely to persist in the next 3-4 days. A Western Disturbance is expected to bring light isolated rainfall/snowfall to the Western Himalayan Region from Thursday to Sunday.
The minimum temperatures are currently in the range of 3-7 degrees Celsius over many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, North Rajasthan, North Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar. These temperatures are below normal by 2-4 degrees Celsius in certain areas of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, North Rajasthan, North Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar, while they are normal over Punjab and Haryana. The lowest minimum temperature of 2.8 degrees Celsius was reported at Datia (West Madhya Pradesh) today.
The IMD issued warnings of dense to very dense fog conditions likely to prevail for a few hours during the night/morning over some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh until Saturday morning. Dense fog conditions are expected in isolated places over Delhi during Monday night and Saturday morning. Similar conditions are forecasted for isolated pockets of Rajasthan until Friday morning and in isolated pockets of north Madhya Pradesh until Wednesday morning.
The IMD anticipates a rise in minimum temperatures by 2-3 degrees Celsius over northwest India in the next five days, with no significant change expected in the rest of the country during this period. Cold wave conditions are predicted in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and north Rajasthan until Tuesday. Ground frost conditions are also expected at isolated places over Uttarakhand on Monday and Tuesday.
(With Agency Inputs)
Read also| Delhi Shivers at 3.5 Degrees Celsius as Dense Fog Engulfs the City