E-Paper
Chandigarh residents shiver as night temperature slides further to 2.8°C
At 2.8°C, Chandigarh was colder than Shimla which recorded a minimum of 6.6°C and Dharmshala, where the mercury settled at 3.2°C. The city was, however, warmer than Manali, which recorded a low of 2.6°C. Chandigarh’s minimum temperature was 4.1 degrees below normal, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said.
A day after the city recorded the season’s lowest minimum temperature of 3.3°C, the mercury slid further, dropping to 2.8°C during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday.
This is the lowest that the night temperature has gone in two years – the previous such low was recorded on January 16, 2024, when the minimum had dropped to 2.7°C.
At 2.8°C, Chandigarh was colder than Shimla which recorded a minimum of 6.6°C and Dharmshala, where the mercury settled at 3.2°C. The city was, however, warmer than Manali, which recorded a low of 2.6°C. Chandigarh’s minimum temperature was 4.1 degrees below normal, India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said.
IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said that the minimum temperature will remain on similar lines on Thursday, while it will start improving from January 16 when a fresh Western Disturbance starts affecting the region.
Tuesday’s condition was classified as cold wave, as per the IMD’s criteria for this region. While cold waves are usually declared when the minimum temperature slides below 10°C and is 4.5 to 6.4°C below normal, it can also be declared when the absolute value of minimum temperature is 4°C or below. When the absolute value of minimum temperature is 2°C or below, a severe cold wave is declared.
Due to the sunny conditions during the day, the maximum temperature rose from 14.3°C on Monday to 15.2°C on Tuesday, 3.2 degrees below normal. Over the next three days, the maximum will remain between 14°C and 17°C and the minimum will remain between 5°C and 8°C.
