IMD issues ‘cold day’ alert to these states in north India; dense fog to prevail

In terms of categorisation, a ‘cold day’ is acknowledged if the maximum temperature drops between 4.5-6.4 degrees below the seasonal norm.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘cold day’ warning on Friday for several states in northern India, anticipating temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius. In its latest bulletin, the weather department mentioned the likelihood of dense to very dense fog persisting during nights and mornings across the northwest region for the next two days.

People sitting around bonfire to protect themselves from cold wave during winter season in Patna, Bihar (File) (HT Photo/Santosh Kumar)

According to the IMD data, the minimum temperatures, recorded at 8.30 am on Friday over the past 24 hours, ranged between 6-10°C across most parts of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, West Rajasthan, and certain areas in East Rajasthan and West Uttar Pradesh.

“Cold Day to Severe Cold Day conditions are likely to continue over some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Rajasthan during next 2 days and significantly decrease thereafter,” IMD wrote on X (formerly Twitter).

The IMD also indicated the possibility of isolated light rainfall in northwest and central India between January 8 and 10.

In terms of categorisation, a ‘cold day’ is acknowledged if the maximum temperature drops between 4.5-6.4 degrees below the seasonal norm. If temperatures fall 6.5 degrees below the normal range for the season, it is labelled a severe cold day.

Min temperatures recorded in various states today

In Delhi:

Palam - 10°C

Safdarjung - 9.4°C

Ridge - 9.1°C

Ayangar - 9.8°C

In Uttar Pradesh:

Meerut - 8.2°C

Bareilly - 10.5°C

Jhansi - 11.6°C

Lucknow - 12.0°C

Sultanpur - 11.6°C

Bahraich - 11.4°C

Gorakhpur - 11.9°C

Varanasi - 13.0°C

In Bihar:

Patna - 12.2°C

Darbhanga - 12.6°C

Purnea - 9.9°C

Gaya - 10.6°C

In Punjab:

Ludhiana - 6.6°C

Amritsar - 6.6°C

In Haryana and Chandigarh:

Chandigarh - 4.9°C

Ambala - 6.6°C

Hissar - 7.5°C

Karnal - 6.3°C

In Rajasthan:

Ganganagar - 6.8°C

Churu - 5.4°C

Bikaner - 2.8°C

Jaisalmer - 5.5°C

Jaipur - 7.4°C

Ajmer - 4.8°C

Udaipur - 6.8°C

Very dense to dense fog in parts of Delhi

Parts of Delhi experienced dense fog on Friday morning, while the minimum temperature settled at 9.4 degrees Celsius, according to IMD data. The IMD had predicted that the national capital may encounter shallow to moderate fog and cold day conditions in some areas throughout the day.

At 8.30 am, the Safardjung Observatory registered a minimum temperature of 9.4 degrees Celsius, slightly above the normal range by more than two notches. Meanwhile, the Ridge Observatory recorded a low of 9.1 degrees Celsius.

Authorities have issued an orange alert for Delhi, anticipating shallow to moderate fog and cold day conditions in select areas. Palam recorded a visibility of 50 meters, indicating dense fog, at 8am. Poor visibility led to delays in around 22 trains, news agency PTI reported quoting railway officials.