The city witnessed its coldest night of the season as temperatures dropped to 4°C on Saturday, low enough for the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to classify it as a cold wave condition.
A cold wave condition is declared in the region when the minimum temperature drops below 10°C and is 4.5 to 6.4 degrees below normal, or when the absolute value of the minimum temperature is 4°C or below. If the absolute value of the minimum temperature is 2°C or below, then a severe cold wave is declared.
Though it is unlikely that the night temperatures may drop further, Met officials said the nights will continue remaining chilly but residents can expect afternoons to be sunny.
This is for the first time this season that the minimum temperature has gone below 5°C. On Friday, the night temperature was recorded at 6.1°C. Last January, the lowest it had gone was on January 27 when the mercury stood at 6°C. In 2024, the minimum temperature dropped to 2.7°C on January 16.
IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said, “The temperature drop was expected as fog was mostly absent on the intervening night between Friday and Saturday. Fog acts as a blanket and keeps the city from losing heat and the absence of fog usually leads to a slide in night temperature.”
{{/usCountry}}IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said, “The temperature drop was expected as fog was mostly absent on the intervening night between Friday and Saturday. Fog acts as a blanket and keeps the city from losing heat and the absence of fog usually leads to a slide in night temperature.”
{{/usCountry}}Visibility on Saturday morning dropped only to 1,500 metres, which was classified as mist rather than fog, and improved to 2,000 metres by 8.30 am.
Because of clear skies and sunny weather, the maximum temperature rose from 17.1°C on Friday to 18°C on Saturday, 1.8 degrees above normal. Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 16°C and 18°C while the minimum will remain around 8°C.
As per the daily bulletin released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the air quality index (AQI) of Chandigarh was moderate at 192.