Excruciating cold is unrelenting for the Manchester city of India. Ludhiana has recorded the minimum temperature of 1.6 degrees, the lowest of this season and an outlier in the plains of North India. The industrial city has been shrinking the mercury level for the last week. The minimum temperature between 20th and 25th December being recorded at 6.2, 5.7, 3.6, 2.8, 2.1 and 1.6 degrees respectively amounting to cold wave condition touching severe level in some pockets.
Ludhiana has been recording single-digit minimum temperature continuously for the last two weeks. The freezing cold has crammed further the city with dense fog and icy winds. Against the seasonal average of 6.8 degrees, the city has clocked an abysmal low of 3.6 degrees during the last week. Such a prolonged cold snap is not very common and stands as one of the coldest weeks on record.
A short relief is likely from the bone-chilling cold in the next 48 hours. A western disturbance induced cyclonic circulation is developing over the region, likely to raise humidity level and reversal of wind pattern. The early morning hours could still be chillily marred with dense fog and piercing breeze.
This break is going to be short and sweet as the cold wave is going to grip the city again. Mercury will drop and reach the existing levels in the subsequent 72 hours. New year eve is going to be as cold as the Christmas.