NEW DELHI: Dense Fog enveloped a major part of North India but temperatures are still above normal keeping winter warmer. Moreover, there is no cold wave expected in the next one week.
Northwest, and a part of Central and Eastern India reeling under a cocktail of smoke and fog caused poor air quality and kept the minimum temperatures over 2-4 °C higher than normal minimum temperatures.
Out of 33 district temperatures which IMD primarily tracks in seven states of Northern, Central and Eastern India, only three districts' temperatures are below normal. These districts are two in Rajasthan and one in Madhya Pradesh on December 29. Most of the warmer cities are in Northern India such as Amritsar (6.8 °C departure from normal), followed by Ambala and different parts of Delhi. Temperatures in different parts of Delhi are in the double-digit.
In its first outlook for the Cod Wave, the Indian Meteorological Department said there would be no significant cold wave likely over any parts of the country till January 4, next year.
However, It has forecasted a high probability of cold waves in some pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and north Rajasthan in the second week of January 2024. The probability of a cold wave would be high in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and north Rajasthan while the rest of areas like UP, MP and the rest of part of Rajasthan would be moderate.
IMD’s in its latest forecast said dense fog will likely continue places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh-Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh from 29th night 31st morning and in some pockets for the subsequent 3 days. It has also forecasted similar conditions in isolated pockets of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura in the next few days.
Under the influence of a feeble Western Disturbance, a light isolated rainfall or snowfall is likely over Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on December 29 onward. Lower easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal will bring light isolated rainfall over Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh from 31st December, 2023 to 02nd January, 2024.