Parts of Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh have been recording cold and severe cold day conditions because of low sunshine and chilly northwesterly winds, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.
Minimum temperatures of 10 degree C or less and maximum of 4.5 degree C or 6.4 degree C below normal are categorised as cold or severe cold day conditions .
A fresh Western Disturbance (WD) induced cyclonic circulation over Afghanistan and neighborhood was also likely to bring scattered to widespread rain and snow over the Western Himalayan region on Tuesday and Wednesday. A WD is a storm originating in the Mediterranean region that brings winter rains to the north-western parts of the Indian subcontinent.
According to IMD’s Monday bulletin, the WD is likely to cause light rainfall over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi. Dense to very dense fog is also likely over Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi.
The WD to affect northwestern India on Tuesday is the sixth WD of January. Another active WD is expected to bring rain and snow around January 27 and 28.
“On an average, there are three WDs in January. This year there may be seven to eight. The WDs are one of the reasons for cold and severe cold day conditions setting in many parts of north India,” said RK Jenamani, senior scientist at the National Weather Forecasting Centre.
“Cold day to severe cold day conditions are very likely in some parts of Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi and cold day conditions in some parts in West Madhya Pradesh and in isolated parts over East Madhya Pradesh during next 24 hours (Tuesday),” the IMD said.
IMD scientists said cold day conditions have developed as a result of a WD, which affected the northern region on January 16. After the WD moved away, wind direction changed to northwesterly, bringing very cold air from the western Himalayas, the scientists said. “There is clouding in many parts of north India which has also blocked sunshine from reaching the surface. A combination of all these factors is leading to maximum temperature falling in many parts of northwest India. There are near cold day conditions in Delhi also,” said Regional Weather Forecasting Centre head Kuldeep Shrivastava.
Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 16.7 degree C, 3.5 degree C below normal, on Sunday. In Haryana’s Hisar and Rohtak, severe cold day conditions prevailed and a maximum temperature of 10.4 degree C and 11.8 degree C was recorded there. The temperatures were 10 degree C and 8.6 degree C below normal.
On Monday, cold to severe cold day conditions were recorded at Palam in Delhi, Bahraich, Hisar, Rohtak, Meerut,Kanpur and others with maximum temperature 4.6 to 9 degrees below normal, according to IMD. The average maximum temperature in December was only 17.5 degree C in northwest India, the lowest since 1971, as per IMD analysis.
“In some years more troughs [area of low pressure] form because the westerly jet stream [strong upper level winds blowing from west to east] is not very steady. When the winds are weak more troughs form. This time there is also incursion of westerlies into the Indian region and not limited to northern India alone. This is why we are seeing several WDs,” said DS Pai, a senior scientist at the IMD.