The cold wave tightened its grip on Gurugram on Wednesday with the city recording a minimum temperature of 0.8 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), keeping it among the coldest places in North India.
Residents continued to reel under extreme winter conditions, just days after Gurugram touched 0.6 degrees Celsius on Monday, its lowest temperature in nearly five decades and colder than several Himalayan hill stations.
IMD’s automatic weather station had logged the 0.6 degrees Celsius reading on Monday, equalling the city’s January 22, 1977 low. The city has gone colder only three times on record - minus 0.4 degrees Celsius on December 5, 1966, 0 degrees Celsius on January 11, 1970, and 0.3 degrees Celsius on January 22, 1979.
Plains colder than the hills
The cold wave has spread across much of the National Capital Region and northwest India. Delhi’s Safdarjung station recorded 3.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, while other plains also saw near-freezing conditions.
In contrast, hill stations were significantly warmer, with Mussoorie at 7.7 degrees Celsius and Shimla at 8.8 degrees Celsius.
{{/usCountry}}In contrast, hill stations were significantly warmer, with Mussoorie at 7.7 degrees Celsius and Shimla at 8.8 degrees Celsius.
{{/usCountry}}Explaining the unusual pattern, IMD director general M Mohapatra said cloud cover over the hills caused by an active western disturbance prevented heat from escaping at night. “The night was cloudy over the higher reaches, which is why minimum temperatures remained higher there,” he said. Over the plains, however, clear skies and persistent cold northwesterly winds allowed strong radiative cooling, pushing temperatures sharply lower.
Frost, fog and hazardous conditions
The intense cold left visible signs across Gurugram and its outskirts, with frost (pala) forming on crops, grasslands and car windshields.
Jeeva Thavasiraj, a 22-year-old site engineer from Sector 66, said the chill was unlike anything he had experienced. “I come from Tamil Nadu and have never experienced this kind of cold. Even with heavy safety shoes, our feet become numb,” he said.
Sunita Devi, a daily commuter from Sohna, said dense fog and frost made travel risky. “There was frost on our bus’s windshield and crops in the fields. The elevated roads had very poor visibility, and vehicles had to move slowly,” she said.