HYDERABAD: Winter 2025 emerged as one of the coldest and most prolonged spells Telangana has seen in the past decade, with December recording an unusually high number of cold-wave days.
According to data accessed by the TNIE, Telangana witnessed 18 cold-wave days in December 2025, a steep jump from just two such days in December 2024 and the highest count recorded in the last 10 years. The month alone saw two severe cold waves.
While northern districts such as Adilabad are traditionally the most vulnerable to harsh winters, this season the cold travelled far beyond its usual confines. Central Telangana districts, including Sangareddy and Medak, along with parts of the western outskirts of Hyderabad, experienced sustained low temperatures rarely seen in these semi-urban regions.
GNRS Srnivasa Rao, senior official, IMD Hyderabad, told the TNIE, “A cold wave is declared when minimum temperatures fall below 10°C and are between 4.5°C and 6.4°C lower than normal. A severe cold wave is declared when the departure from normal exceeds 6.5°C, and such conditions must persist for at least two consecutive days. Winter 2025 met these criteria repeatedly. While the official Hyderabad observatory recorded a lowest minimum temperature of around 7.1°C, several peripheral areas dipped closer to or below 7°C, highlighting the widespread nature of the cold spell.”
Explaining the reasons behind the prolonged chill, meteorologists say the severity of the winter to a combination of strong radiational cooling, clear night skies and exceptionally low humidity. Under these conditions, heat absorbed during the day escaped rapidly after sunset, allowing temperatures to plunge. Adding to the intensity was the unusual southward movement of cold northerly winds, which typically affect only northern Telangana but this year extended deep into central districts.
Visibility dropped at RGIA consecutively: Meteorologist
Western Disturbances — extra-tropical weather systems originating near the Mediterranean region — also played an indirect role. After influencing weather over north India, these systems enabled cold air masses to move southwards, occasionally reaching Telangana and reinforcing the chill.
As temperatures briefly edged closer to normal around the turn of the year, another weather challenge surfaced. A shift in wind direction brought moisture-laden air from the Bay of Bengal over the cold landmass. With limited vertical air movement due to low temperatures, the moisture condensed near the surface, resulting in dense fog.
“For three to four consecutive days, visibility at Hyderabad airport dropped to as low as 50 to 100 metres, prompting constant advisories and close coordination between meteorological teams and air traffic control authorities,” the meteorologist added.
Although absolute minimum temperatures did not breach historical records, the duration and geographical spread of the cold made winter 2025 particularly notable. Hyderabad’s lowest-ever minimum temperature remains 1.9°C, recorded in 1984, followed by 4.4°C in 2015 and 2018. This winter’s lowest minimum hovered around 5.6°C, but the sustained chill over nearly three weeks set it apart from recent years.
Meteorologists expect winter conditions to gradually ease by the third week of January, with temperatures returning to near-normal levels. However, intermittent morning fog may continue when cool nights coincide with moisture-bearing easterly winds. Early indications also suggest that summer temperatures could be slightly above normal.