As a severe cold wave tightens its grip on North India, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warns of plummeting temperatures and dense fog conditions in the Northern and Northwestern regions over the next two days. The cold wave alert issued by the IMD covers many areas in Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, with fog expected to impact visibility significantly on January 5 and 6.
The national capital, New Delhi, shivers as it experiences its coldest day in two years on January 5, with the maximum temperature at Safdarjung dropping to 12.5 degrees Celsius—seven notches below normal. The met department declares it a ‘severe cold day,’ marking the onset of the first ‘cold day’ of the season.
Dense fog is predicted to envelop isolated pockets across Jammu division, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Odisha, West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura between January 5 and January 7, 2024, according to the IMD.
While the North grapples with the biting cold, South India is set to experience heavy rainfall for the next 2-3 days. The IMD forecasts continuous heavy downpours in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Lakshadweep until January 8.
Intense rainfall is expected in isolated areas of South India, providing relief from the persistent cold conditions in the North. Additionally, the IMD predicts light rainfall over Madhya Pradesh throughout the week, with the possibility of isolated light rainfall in Uttar Pradesh on January 5.
