Ludhiana experienced its chilliest New Year’s day in 54 years as the mercury plunged by 7.3 degrees over the last 24 hours, reaching a bone-chilling minimum temperature of 10.4°C. This marked the third consecutive day with zero sunshine hours, contributing to the lowest maximum temperature for January 1 since 1970 when weather data collection began.
The day temperature on Monday was eight degrees below the usual range, and weather experts anticipate these cold conditions to persist until January 5. An orange alert has been issued for the next four days, indicating dense to very dense fog along with cold day conditions. Climate experts forecast no major temperature changes thereafter.
Punjab Agricultural University’s head of climate change and agricultural meteorology, Pavneet Kaur Kingra, highlighted that such low maximum temperatures were previously recorded only on January 1, 2013, at around 10.8°C. She emphasized the severity of the cold weather for the next four to five days, attributing it to excessive fog and the absence of sunlight. Haze is expected to gradually reduce starting from January 6.
This unusual weather pattern has disrupted Ludhiana’s typical first-week temperatures, with a normal day temperature of 17.7°C and a night temperature of 5.7°C.
