Cold wave: At 3.2°C, Chandigarh records season’s coldest night

With a night temperature of 3.2°C, Chandigarh also recorded this winter’s first cold wave day, according to the India Meteorological Department

With the fog subsiding on the intervening night of Saturday and Sunday, the minimum temperature fell sharply from 6.1°C the night before to 3.2°C, which was 3.6 degrees below normal.

Residents bundled up in woollens to combat the winter chill in Chandigarh. (Sanjeev Sharma/HT)

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), this is the lowest that the night temperature has gone this season and is also just slightly higher than the lowest temperature last December – 3.1°C on December 31, 2020.

With a night temperature of 3.2°C, the city also recorded this winter’s first cold wave day.

As per the IMD, a cold wave is declared in the plains when the minimum temperature goes below 4°C. It is also declared when the minimum temperature is 10°C or below and also 4.5 notches lesser than the season’s normal for two consecutive days.

“While the city witnessed dense fog over the past few days, the sky was clear in the early hours of Sunday. Fog acts like a blanket, keeping the minimum temperature from dropping too low. In its absence, night got chillier between Saturday and Sunday. Similar conditions are expected on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday as well,” said an IMD official.

However, the official added, as two western disturbances were likely to affect the city one after the other in the coming days, the temperature will rise.

Meanwhile, the clear skies helped the maximum temperature increase from 15°C on Saturday to 18.7°C on Sunday, but it was still 2.4 degrees below normal.

Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain between 17°C and 19°C, while the minimum temperature will hover between 3°C and 6°C.