Hisar, Alwar, Sikar, Palam Nearly Freeze: Record Lowest Temperature Of Season; Relief Likely Soon
Key Takeaways
- Several cities touched near-freezing temperatures, with Hisar dropping to 0.2°C.
- Dense fog kept daytime temperatures very low, causing cold day conditions.
- A western disturbance may soon change wind patterns and ease the cold.
- Winter rain is possible across northern plains later next week.
Intense cold continues to grip large parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Delhi. Following a cold sweep from the slopes of the mountains, the plains far south of the foothills of North India reel under frigid conditions, with minimum temperatures plunging close to zero and reaching the lowest of the season so far. Palam, Alwar, Sikar and Hisar plunged to temperatures between zero and one degree for the first time this season. These temperatures include Palam (2.3°C), Hisar (0.2°C), Alwar (1°C) and Sikar (1°C). Lack of observations has probably restricted the frozen pockets, which otherwise would have stretched their boundaries.
Following a prolonged dry spell over the plains and hills of North India, the seasonal progression, coupled with a cold blast from the higher reaches, has numbed large parts of the region. Severe cold wave conditions have impacted normal life in small pockets of Rajasthan, Hisar, Punjab and the Delhi region. A thick envelope of fog has restricted the rise of day temperatures, triggering simultaneous cold day conditions. Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala, Ambala, Karnal and Chandigarh barely reached day maxima in double digits. Amritsar and Chandigarh were the lowest with 8.8°C and 8.9°C. These were about 9°–10°C below normal, inflicting severe cold day conditions. The diurnal variation, the difference between maximum and minimum temperature, was very small, ranging just 4°–5°C across the region.
A western disturbance is arriving over the Western Himalayas tomorrow. A little later, it will have its induced circulation over the plains. A similar set of conditions will be repeated with another duo, similar but stronger, next week. A change in wind pattern will block the cold flow from the hills and sweep the region with moist and slightly warmer winds. Large parts of the northern plains will favourably observe this change and lead to a rise in mercury levels, abating cold wave conditions. If all goes as indicated now, a decent spell of winter rains will also visit these parts around the later part of next week.
