Chandigarh shivers on coldest December day in three years

At 11.1°C, the maximum temperature of Chandigarh was 9.9 degrees below normal. This is the lowest that the maximum temperature has gone in December since 2019 when the maximum temperature had slipped to 8.8°C, a day after Christmas.

With day temperature dropping by three notches on Sunday, the city recorded its coldest December day in three years, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The maximum temperature went from 14.1°C on Saturday to 11.1°C on Sunday.

A child covered in multiple layers of woollens on Chandigarh’s coldest December day in three years. (Keshav Singh/HT)

It is expected to stay on the lower side in the coming days as well, owing to dense fog.

At 11.1°C, the maximum temperature was 9.9 degrees below normal. This is the lowest that the maximum temperature has gone in December since 2019 when the maximum temperature had slipped to 8.8°C, a day after Christmas.

Chandigarh colder than Himachal’s hill stations

At 11.1°C, the city’s maximum temperature was lower than many hill stations in Himachal Pradesh, including Shimla at 11.9°C, Dharamshala at 19°C and Solan at 18.4°C. It was almost as cold as Manali where the maximum temperature was 10.2°C.

Second consecutive severe cold day

This was also the second consecutive severe cold day in the city. The IMD declares a severe cold day in this region when the minimum temperature drops below 10°C and the maximum temperature is more than 6.5°C below normal.

There was a brief spell of sun in the afternoon, which stopped the mercury from going lower.”

Visibility was below 50 metres around 7am, he added.

Dense fog along similar lines is expected on Monday and Tuesday, and the maximum temperature also may drop, as per the IMD.

The minimum temperature, meanwhile, went up from 2.8°C on Saturday to 6.6°C on Sunday, 0.5 degrees above normal. The dense fog helps stop the temperature from falling further.

Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will hover around 14°C while the minimum temperature will remain between 5°C and 7°C.