HYDERABAD: The year 2019 ended on a cold and damp note and 2020 is likely to begin in the same way. In the coming week, Hyderabadis will have no choice but to wrap up themselves in sweaters, shawls, and possibly raincoats. The IMD has predicted a mixed weather forecast wherein it is likely to be both cold and damp at the same time. The cold wave which had started in the last week of December 2019, is expected to continue along the first week of January 2020. During the first two weeks, temperatures are likely to drop below 14 degrees Celcius in the city and light to moderate rainfall is predicted till January 4, informed IMD meteorologist, B Raja Rao.
Tuesday brought unusually low temperatures with a drizzle of 0.7 mm. “The rain during this period is because of a change in the wind direction. It is due to cyclonic circulation that is hovering over northwestern parts of Odisha,” Raja Rao said. On January 1 and 2, the city will witness light rainfall. “Thereafter, the rain will slowly descend and the cold wave with foggy mornings would continue,” he noted. In December, the city had registered a minimum of 14.9 degrees Celsius on December 29. “We are likely to see colder days, this January,” the meteorologist said. During January, most of the districts in Telangana will be under a tight grip of a cold wave. However, for now, due to cloud cover, the minimum temperatures in the State are likely to increase slightly while the maximum temperatures will come down significantly, he said.