Even as the maximum temperature rose by a notch — from Sunday’s 11°C to 12°C on Monday — Chandigarh remained colder than Shimla for the second day in a row.
With the maximum temperature remaining 9.1°C below normal, the city also recorded second severe cold day in a row, with a third likely on Tuesday, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
In Shimla, the mercury rose up to 13.4°C, while even Dharamshala recorded a maximum of 14°C degrees. However, while Chandigarh’s minimum temperature was 9.5°C (up from 8.2°C the previous day and 3.8°C above normal), it settled at 6.6°C in Shimla and 7.4°C in Dharamshala.
IMD, Chandigarh, director Manmohan Singh, who was earlier the regional head of IMD, Shimla, said: “In the plains, the drop in temperature is due to fog, but we don’t see fog like this in the hills. With no sunlight in the day, the temperature stays low, but in Himachal Pradesh, it gets warmer in the day and gets much colder at night.”
Severe cold day ahead
{{/usCountry}}Severe cold day ahead
{{/usCountry}}According to the IMD, a severe cold day is declared in the plains when the minimum temperature is below 10°C and the maximum temperature goes more than 6.5°C below normal. Similar conditions are likely to continue in the coming days.
However, minimum temperature is likely to rise gradually by two to four degrees in the next few days due to a fresh western disturbance around January 21, said Manmohan Singh. “Some rain can be expected in the city around the weekend and the system will be the strongest around Saturday. The maximum temperature is still likely to stay below normal, though the minimum temperature will rise during this period,” he said.
In the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 13°C and 15°C, while the minimum will settle around 10-12°C.