Severe cold grips North India, plains colder than Shimla: What IMD forecast says

Several parts of northern India will continue to face freezing temperatures as the India Meteorological Department has issued a cold wave warning for the next couple of days in areas including Delhi and the National Capital Region, besides Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, as per official information on Sunday.

In the bulletin issued on Sunday, January 11, the IMD said that cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are very likely at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, west Uttar Pradesh. Isolated places over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, Saurashtra and Kutch, and Uttarakhand may witness cold wave conditions on Monday, January 12.

The cold wave streak is very likely to continue on Tuesday as well at isolated places over Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and west Uttar Pradesh. For Jharkhand, the cold wave is likely to persist till Thursday, as per the IMD.

Surprisingly, the temperatures in plains, including Delhi and Chandigarh, have dipped below those in hilly cities such as Shimla.

On Monday, the IMD forecast said that Shimla is likely to experience maximum and minimum temperatures of 16 and 9 degrees Celsius respectively. However, for Delhi, the weather department has predicted that the minimum temperature could dip to 3-4.2 degrees Celsius on Monday while the maximum temperature might hover between 18-20 degrees Celsius.

Himachal districts such as Shimla and Kullu have no warnings issued yet for the rest of the week, while Delhi is likely to witness cold wave conditions over the next two days and might see partly cloudy skies for the subsequent two days.

These areas are likely to be engulfed in dense fog till Thursday, January 15.

According to the IMD, cold wave and severe cold wave conditions could lead to several impacts on not just health but also agriculture, transport and other aspects of life.

In Delhi’s Mukundpur area, a family of three were killed in a fire last Tuesday. HT has reported that police suspected a room heater exploded or caused a short circuit, knocking the family unconscious with smoke before the flames spread.

In a similar tragedy, a young couple and their month-old infant died in Punjab's Tarn Taran on Sunday of asphyxiation due to fumes after sleeping with a brazier in a room with all doors and windows closed, according to police.