Winter rains commencing fag the end of January and the start of February over the plains of North India led to the abatement of cold wave conditions. The minimum temperatures rose to double digits and even hovered in the mid-teens at many laces. Now, the western disturbance has cleared the Western Himalayas and induced circulation has exited from the plains. In the wake of winter weather systems, cold air mass has spread across most parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and even beyond these boundaries. Night temperatures have dived once again, mostly going below normal across the region.
Chilly winds from the foothills and down the slopes are sweeping the northern plains leading to a significant drop in temperature. A drop in the humidity levels and an increase in the wind speed also led to the early lifting of fog. A fair amount of sunshine throughout the day will ease out the day's temperatures. A layer of thin clouds will come back in the night and may also persist in small patches tomorrow, as well.
On the expected lines, the national capital witnessed a solid drop of over 5°C today morning. The minimum temperature dipped to 7°C, as against 12.4°C of yesterday. Parts of Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan observed a similar trend.
There is no fresh western disturbance likely for the next week. Scattered high clouds because of strong westerly winds in the upper atmosphere may appear off and on but are not of much significance. Because of heavy snowfall in the mountains, a pressure gradient will build up in the plains, leading to the strengthening of low-level winds. This will increase the chill factor across the region for the next few days. Dry and cold winds will sweep the region till 10th Feb 2024. Thereafter, fresh developments over the central parts of the country will induce some change in the wind streams over Delhi, and Rajasthan and will have extension further northward. This will arrest any further drop in the minimum temperatures and rather it will trigger some rise in these temperatures for the subsequent 4-5 days. No rainfall is likely over these areas till the end of this week.
Image Credit: Hindustantimes