Delhi was colder than hills on Monday: IMD

The plains of northwest India were far colder than the hills on Monday, according to minimum temperature data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Delhi’s Safdarjung recorded 3.2 degrees C; Hissar 2.6°C; Amritsar 1.1 °C; Churu 1.3 °C; Karnal 3.5 °C; Meerut 4.5 °C. In comparison, popular tourist destinations in north India such as Mussoorie recorded 7.7°C and Shimla 8.8°C.

This is mainly because of the cloud cover over the hills, which is not allowing the warmth from the day to escape. “A western disturbance is impacting the upper reaches so the night was cloudy. This is mainly why minimum temperatures are higher over the hills,” said M Mohapatra, director general, IMD.

Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are very likely to continue over Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during the next two-three days and abate thereafter, IMD said on Monday.

Dense fog conditions are very likely to continue during morning hours over northwest India and Bihar during the next five days. Cold day to severe cold day conditions are very likely in isolated pockets of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and West Rajasthan during the next two days, it added.

An upper air cyclonic circulation is lying over the Comorin area and neighbourhood in the lower tropospheric levels. A subtropical westerly jet stream with core winds of the order of 185 kmph at 12.6 km above mean sea level is prevailing over northeast India. A western disturbance is impacting the Western Himalayan region. An upper air cyclonic circulation is also lying over north Haryana & neighbourhood in the lower tropospheric levels. A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect the Western Himalayan region from January 15, IMD has said.

No significant change in minimum temperature is likely over northwest India during the next 3 days, and a gradual rise by 2-4 degrees C is expected during the subsequent four days.

Ground frost conditions are very likely in isolated pockets over Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Rajasthan.

HT reported on January 11 that north-west India is experiencing one of its driest winters on record, with an 84.8% rainfall deficiency in December and 84% in the first ten days of January, leaving the region’s hills parched and starved of snow at the height of the winter season.

The unprecedented dry spell — caused by western disturbances bypassing the region entirely — has created near-drought conditions across the Western Himalayas, with even higher reaches of Uttarakhand recording no snowfall in January, a rare meteorological occurrence for the month.

The current western disturbance is expected to break the dry spell, officials said.