Chandigarh records first ‘cold day’ of season

The IMD declares a cold day when minimum temperature falls below 10°C and maximum temperature falls 4.5-6.4°C below normal

Chandigarh recorded its first “cold day” of the season on Tuesday, following which India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of cold wave conditions in the coming days.

Residents getting some respite from the chill while sitting under the sun at the Plaza in Sector 17 on Tuesday. (Keshav Singh/HT)

The IMD declares a “cold day” when minimum temperature falls below 10°C and maximum temperature falls 4.5-6.4°C below normal. On Tuesday, even as maximum temperature went up from Monday’s 14.6°C to 17.2°C, it was still five notches below normal.

Meanwhile, minimum temperature went down from 11°C to 9.6°C, falling below 10°C for the first time since December 3.

Visibility stayed over 1 kilometre in the morning. The weatherman said shallow to moderate fog will be present in the coming mornings, but it will disperse later with sunlight expected during the day.

“Due to this, maximum temperature will increase, but clear weather at night will lead to drop in minimum temperature. Recent snowfall in Himachal Pradesh will also contribute to chances of cold wave conditions in and around Chandigarh,” he said. Cold wave occurs when minimum temperature falls 4.5-6.4°C below normal.

In the next three days, maximum temperature is expected to remain between 17 and 18 degrees while minimum temperature will remain between 7 and 8 degrees.