With temperatures plunging to historic lows, several parts of Northern India have been witnessing unusually chilly weather this January, followed by dense fog and frequent rains.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted rain over Delhi-NCR from Friday night due to the influence of a Western Disturbance lying over North India. “This Western Disturbance is weaker compared to the last one which caused intense rainfall”, said RK Jenamani, senior scientist, IMD. According to him, the rain will start in Delhi from January 21 night and it will continue till January 23 morning.
As a result of the Western Disturbance, the sky will remain overcast increasing the minimum temperature to 13 degree Celsius. “Day temperature to remain low due to rain throughout North India, Rajasthan, Haryana”, Mr Jenamani informed.
There is a possibility of hail storms also in Punjab, Haryana, he added. As per IMD predictions, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Lucknow will see dense fog on Tuesday. It further predicted that Himachal Pradesh is likely to experience bad weather till January 24. “Cold wave conditions over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan during the next two days”, said IMD. The weather would improve from January 19 onwards due to the influence of western Disturbance, informed IMD scientist Jenamani.
Places reeling under a severe cold wave in India are as follows:
Dras: Dras in Ladakh witnessed an intensely cold night as the minimum temperature was at minus 17 degrees Celsius on Friday.
Pahalgam: This hilly region of J&K recorded a minimum temperature of minus 13 degrees Celsius on Friday night.
Rajasthan: Mount Abu remains coldest in the state where a minimum temperature of minus 5°C was recorded, the Met reports said. Attributing the continued dip in the mercury to the active northerly winds and the vanishing of factors including western disturbances and upper air cyclonic circulation, Jaipur Met office stated that similar weather conditions will prevail in the state in the next couple of days. The lowest minimum temperature of 6.8 degrees Celsius was recorded in Chittorgarh followed by 8.0 degrees each in Bhilwara and Vanasthali, 8.1 degrees in Jaipur and Sangaria, 8.5 degrees in Sikar, 8.7 degrees in Bikaner, 8.8 degrees in Tonk and 9.0 degrees Celsius in Nagaur, as per IMD data.
Delhi: The national capital on Friday recorded a minimum temperature of 7.6 degrees Celsius.
Jammu and Kashmir: Kashmir valley is currently under the grip of the 40-day harshest winter period known as ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ which began on December 21 last year. ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ is a period when a cold wave grips the region and the temperature drops considerably leading to the freezing of water bodies including the famous Dal Lake here as well as the water supply lines in several parts of the valley.
Experts had earlier warned of severe cold conditions because of La Nina, a weather phenomenon in the Pacific Ocean that leads to a dip in temperatures.
What is La Nina?
La Nina is part of a cycle known as the El Nino-Southern Oscillation (ENSO), a naturally occurring shift in ocean temperatures and weather patterns along the equator in the Pacific Ocean, bringing wetter conditions and more cyclones.
La Nina is threatening to send the temperature in North India plunging to as low as 3 degrees Celsius. January and February will be particularly cold, after which the temperature will recover, a report in Bloomberg stated.
As per reports, La Nina appears to have emerged across the equatorial Pacific, setting the stage for worsening droughts in California and South America, chilly winters in parts of the US and Japan, etc. Episodes of La Nina last nine to 12 months, but can sometimes last for years.
(With Input from Agencies)
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