Night temperatures have dipped over most parts of North India in the last 2 days. Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh has registered sharp drop in the minimum temperature, lowering to low single digit at many places. Further drop is anticipated across the region for the next few days.
Entire north India had experienced wide spread rain, thundershower and hailstorm at few places, during the last week. Blanket of snow covered the hilly resorts between 03rd and 09th Jan across Jammu&Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand. In the wake of these rain and snow storms, weather conditions have improved and the icy winds from the snowy mountains are blowing down the slopes to ingress plains of North India. Night temperatures have plunged to 5°C or even lower at few places. Sikar in Rajasthan is the lowest with 3.5°C. Sikar, a prominent town of Shekhawati region had earlier dropped to sub-zero in December, recording -2.5°C on 19thDec 2021.
North Rajasthan and bordering region of Haryana and Punjab have witnessed mild cold wave conditions, with temperatures hovering </= 5°C. Cold wave is announced for the plains when minimum temperatures clock 4°C or less. Borderline cases this morning were Hisar( 4.7°C), Chittorgarh(4.6°C), Bhilwara(4.4°C), Bikaner(5°C) and Bathinda(5.4°C). These are the potential locations for cold wave intensification and spreading further in the contiguous places. A long list of freezing stations is expected in the next 2-3days.
Reversal in the wind pattern is expected on 16thJan, with a likely cyclonic circulation over South Rajasthan. Also, a western disturbance is likely to arrive around that time, suppressing the cold air from the mountains. Cold wave conditions will abate thereafter from most parts. Partial and thin cloud cover may restrict the sunshine over some parts in the next 24hr. However, no rain is expected over the northern plains till the end of this week.
