Low temperatures dropped across most of northern India on Sunday with Srinagar recording a low of minus 3 degrees Celsius, while a cold snap swept through parts of Delhi that posted its coldest November morning since 2003.
The minimum temperature in the national capital dropped to 6.9 degrees Celsius, while air quality remained “poor” and government agencies said it was likely to deteriorate further due to unfavorable weather conditions.
“The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, registered a minimum of 6.9 degrees Celsius. It is Delhi’s lowest minimum temperature in the month since November 2003, when the city recorded a low of 6.1 degrees Celsius, ”said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the regional forecast center at the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
Mercury dropped to 6.1 degrees Celsius at the Palam weather station.
For the plains, the IMD declares cold wave when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or less and is 4.5 notches lower than normal for two consecutive days.
“However, for small areas like Delhi, a cold snap can be declared if the criteria are met even for a day,” Srivastava said, adding that icy winds blowing from the snow-laden western Himalayas have caused a fall. in mercury.
The minimum temperature will increase by two to three degrees Celsius in the next four to five days under the influence of a new western disturbance.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded the coldest night of the season, as the minimum temperature dropped several degrees below freezing in the Kashmir region, while the meteorological department predicted a streak of weather. wet in the valley as of Monday.
Srinagar recorded a low of minus 3 degrees Celsius Saturday night, which is the lowest so far this season, a meteorological department official said, adding that the minimum temperature was set below freezing throughout the valley. from Kashmir.
The famous Gulmarg ski resort in the Baramulla district of northern Kashmir was the coldest place on record in the valley at minus 7.4 degrees Celsius, while mercury settled at a low of minus 5.6 degrees Celsius in the Pahalgam resort complex in the Anantnag district of southern Kashmir, he said. .
The official said that a streak of rain and snow is more likely to occur, especially in the higher sections, with a mild to moderate intensity between November 23 and 25.
“Snowfall over the higher reaches of northwestern JK and the Sonmarg-Zojila area is likely to start from November 23 in the morning and is likely to affect both UTs through November 25,” he said.
Cold conditions continued to sweep through some districts of Himachal Pradesh and the meteorological department forecast rain and snowfall in the state on Wednesday.
The Shimla Meteorological Center had forecast rain and snow from Sunday to Wednesday. However, its director, Manmohan Singh, said on Sunday that a ‘yellow weather’ warning was issued for heavy rains in isolated locations in the middle hills and snow-capped in the high hills of the state by Wednesday.
The meteorological office issues color-coded warnings to alert people ahead of severe or dangerous weather that has the potential to cause harm, widespread disruption, or danger to life. Yellow, the least dangerous of all the warnings, indicates the possibility of bad weather in the coming days.
Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest place in the state at minus 6.4 degrees Celsius. Kalpa in the Kinnaur district registered a low of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature in Manali in the Kullu district was 0.2 degrees Celsius, while Kufri and Dalhousie recorded 3.6 degrees Celsius and 3.8 degrees Celsius respectively.
Shimla registered a low of 5.1 degrees Celsius. The highest temperature in the state was recorded in Una at 23.2 degrees Celsius.
Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar recorded the lowest temperature in the state at 6.2 degrees Celsius with cold weather conditions prevailing in the Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Allahabad and Kanpur divisions.
Mercury fell to 7.3 degrees Celsius in Bareilly and the state capital Lucknow posted a low of 9.5 degrees Celsius, while both Agra and Meerut posted a low of 9.4 degrees Celsius. Allahabad recorded a low temperature of 10.5 degrees Celsius, followed by Kanpur, where the mercury settled at 10 degrees Celsius. The meteorologist forecast fog or shallow fog on Monday morning and dry weather in Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Maximum and minimum temperatures remained below normal limits in Haryana and Punjab, and the common capital Chandigarh recorded a maximum of 22.5 degrees Celsius, four levels below normal.
Amritsar’s nighttime temperature was set at 5.4 degrees Celsius, one notch lower, while Narnaul in Haryana registered a low of 6.4 degrees Celsius, three degrees lower than normal.
Mercury also fell in parts of Rajasthan and Churu recorded a low temperature of 5 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the lowest in the state.
Minimum temperatures in Sikar, Bhilwara, Pilani, Chittorgarh, Dabok, and Ganganagar were recorded at 5.5 degrees Celsius, 6.5 degrees Celsius, 6.6 degrees Celsius, 7.4 degrees Celsius, 8 degrees Celsius, and 8.8 degrees. Celsius respectively.
According to IMD, it is highly likely that there will be scattered to fairly widespread rain and snow in the western Himalayan region on 23-26 November, while isolated parts of Himachal Paradesh and Jammu and Kashmir may witness heavy snowfall on the 25th. of November.
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