Cold Wave Conditions Over Rajasthan: May Extend Till Weekend
Plains of North India have been witnessing lower-than-normal minimum temperatures. Cold winds descending the mountain slopes have been sweeping the green land of Punjab and Haryana. Clear nights are facilitating radiational cooling, resulting in a sharp drop in night temperatures. Many places in Punjab and Haryana have recorded single-digit temperatures for the last few days. Bhatinda, Firozpur, Pathankot, Hisar, Sirsa, and Narnaul have all recorded temperatures between 6°C and 8°C, even amounting to cold wave conditions in isolated pockets. The adjacent state of Rajasthan has been gripped by freezing conditions on a wider scale. The western half of the state is better off, but many areas in East Rajasthan have plummeted to low single digits.
A strong seasonal anticyclonic flow has been dominating East Rajasthan. Chilly low-level winds from the foothills of Punjab are penetrating deep into the state. Sikar has recorded the second lowest minimum temperature of 5.5°C, next to Bhopal, which had a record pan-India low of 5.2°C. Stations swept by cold wave conditions include Kota, Sikar, Ajmer, Alwar, Jodhpur, Udaipur, and Jalore.
There is no western disturbance over the hills nor any cyclonic circulation expected in the next one week. The wind pattern will remain steady, holding bitterly cold northwesterlies. The absence of clouds is enabling quicker radiational heat loss, resulting in a steep nocturnal drop in temperatures. Humidity levels remain low, accentuating dry cold over large areas of the state. East Rajasthan and adjoining Bundelkhand region of Madhya Pradesh, as such, have a track record of being the coldest pockets around this time of the year. Under the influence of ongoing conditions, night temperatures may drop further, albeit marginally, over the next 4–5 days.
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