A biting cold wave tightened its grip across large parts of North India on Wednesday, with Delhi, Kashmir, Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab reeling under plunging temperatures and dense fog in several regions.
Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 3.8 degrees Celsius, 3.6 notches below normal, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Safdarjung logged the season’s sharp chill, while Palam recorded 4.4 degrees Celsius and Lodhi Road 3.6 degrees Celsius. The Ridge saw a low of 4.6 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar 4 degrees Celsius, all well below normal levels.
According to the IMD, cold wave conditions are declared when minimum temperatures fall between 4.5 and 6.4 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature in the national capital is expected to hover around 20 degrees Celsius.
Delhi’s air quality also deteriorated, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) settling in the ‘very poor’ category at 354, as per Central Pollution Control Board data. Thirty-three monitoring stations recorded ‘very poor’ air quality, four were in the ‘severe’ category and two in ‘poor’. Jahangirpuri reported the worst air with an AQI of 420.
In Kashmir, parts of the iconic Dal Lake and several other water bodies froze as sub-zero temperatures intensified across the Valley. The region is currently in the grip of ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, a 40-day period of extreme cold that began on December 21 and will end on January 30.
Srinagar recorded a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night, lower than the previous night’s minus 4.9 degrees Celsius. Shopian in south Kashmir was the coldest place in the Valley at minus 7.5 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam recorded minus 6 degrees Celsius, Gulmarg minus 3.8 degrees Celsius and Sonamarg minus 2.2 degrees Celsius. Qazigund settled at minus 5.3 degrees Celsius, Kokernag at minus 2.3 degrees Celsius and Kupwara at minus 6.2 degrees Celsius.
The IMD said a western disturbance is approaching Kashmir and is likely to affect the Valley’s weather from January 16.
Rajasthan continued to shiver, with Lunkaransar in Bikaner district recording a bone-chilling 1.4 degrees Celsius. Most parts of the state saw minimum temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius. Fatehpur in Sikar logged 2.2 degrees Celsius, Nagaur 2.6 degrees Celsius, Alwar 3 degrees Celsius, Karauli 3.2 degrees Celsius, Ganganagar 3.5 degrees Celsius, Jhunjhunu 3.9 degrees Celsius, Pilani 4.1 degrees Celsius and Jaisalmer 4.7 degrees Celsius.
Sikar recorded 4.8 degrees Celsius, Bikaner 5.5 degrees Celsius, Vanasthali in Tonk 5.9 degrees Celsius, Ajmer 8.4 degrees Celsius and Jaipur 10.4 degrees Celsius. Light to medium fog was reported in some areas.
Haryana saw no respite either, with Hisar recording a night temperature of 0.5 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal. Fog reduced visibility across many parts of Haryana and neighbouring Punjab during the morning hours.
Narnaul recorded 1 degree Celsius and Bhiwani 1.2 degrees Celsius. Gurugram logged 3.5 degrees Celsius, Ambala 4.9 degrees Celsius, Karnal 3.6 degrees Celsius, Faridabad 4.3 degrees Celsius and Rohtak 3.6 degrees Celsius - up to five degrees below normal.
In Punjab, Bathinda and Faridkot recorded 3.2 degrees Celsius. Gurdaspur logged 3.5 degrees Celsius, Amritsar 4.3 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana 5.4 degrees Celsius, Patiala 4.4 degrees Celsius, Hoshiarpur 5.6 degrees Celsius and Mansa 5.4 degrees Celsius, with temperatures up to four degrees below normal.
Chandigarh recorded a low of 3.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, after witnessing its coldest night of the season on Tuesday, when the mercury dipped to 2.8 degrees Celsius.