Cold wave in parts of Delhi may ease from Wednesday, rain likely: IMD

IMD has said Delhi's minimum temperature is likely to rise to 6 to 7 degrees Celsius under the influence of these two western disturbances between December 22 and December 25.

The cold wave sweeping Delhi will stop from Wednesday and there will be an improvement starting from Tuesday night, a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.

The cold wave will stop from December 22 onwards, IMD has said.  (ANI Photo)

“Delhi's temperature is between 3 to 4 degrees Celcius and December 18 and 19 were cold days. The cold wave, which starts today, will stop from December 22 onwards, with an improvement starting from tomorrow night. Rainfall is likely on December 24,” RK Jenamani, IMD senior scientist, was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Jenamani said two back-to-back western disturbances and the resultant slowing down of cold northwesterly winds from Tuesday night will push Delhi’s minimum temperature up.

He added the minimum temperature is likely to rise to 6 to 7 degrees Celsius under the influence of these two western disturbances between December 22 and December 25.

The minimum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, which is considered the official marker for the national capital, dropped to 3.2 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal and the lowest this season so far.

The automatic weather station at Jaffarpur village in west Delhi recorded a low of 2.9 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal. The weather station at Lodhi Road logged a minimum temperature of 3.1 degrees Celsius against the average of 7 degrees Celsius.

Most of the other places recorded the minimum temperature between three degrees Celsius and six degrees Celsius, and at least three notches below normal, according to the IMD data.

The IMD predicted severe cold wave conditions in parts of northwest India till December 21.

A bone-chilling "severe" cold wave swept parts of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh on Sunday with Churu in Rajasthan reporting the lowest minimum temperature of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius in northwest India followed by Sikar (minus 2.5 degrees Celsius) and Amritsar (minus 0.5 degree Celsius).

Jenamani also said the situation in east Rajasthan, the worst hit with cold waves, is improving on Monday along with that in Punjab.

“East UP, Odisha, Jharkhand, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, MP, WB and Delhi will experience cold waves from today till December 22, after which the western disturbance hits,” he told ANI.

IMD declares a cold wave in the plains if the minimum temperature drops to 4 degrees Celsius. A cold wave is also declared when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches less than normal.

A "severe" cold wave is when the minimum temperature dips to two degrees Celsius or the departure from normal is more than 6.4 degrees Celsius. When the minimum temperature is less than or equal to 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius below the normal, it is said to be a 'cold day'.