IMD predicts more snow, rain as cold wave tightens grip on North

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cold wave conditions are likely to continue for a week, with the possibility of fresh scattered snow and rain in the region between January 1 and 3.

A cold wave has gripped large swathes of northern India, with fresh snowfall blanketing the upper reaches and pushing temperatures below zero at several places in the Himalayan region.

Houses covered with snow after fresh snowfall, at Auli of Chamoli district of Uttarakhand. (PTI)

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the cold wave conditions are likely to continue for a week, with the possibility of fresh scattered snow and rain in the region between January 1 and 3.

The temperature in Gulmarg and Pahalgam in Jammu & Kashmir dropped several degrees below the freezing point, even as the rest of the Valley experienced extended relief from the harsh winter, weather officials said on Monday.

Gulmarg, a tourist resort town in north Kashmir known as a skiing hub, recorded a night temperature of -10°C on Monday, down by two degrees compared to the previous night, the meteorological department said.

Pahalgam in south Kashmir, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a low of -9.2°C on Monday, down from -8.5°C the previous night, the weather office said.

In Srinagar, night temperature dipped to -0.9°C, little more than a degree above the normal temperature for this time of the year, it said. Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, logged a minimum temperature of -2.8°C, while Konibal in Parampore recorded a low of -1.4°C, the weather office said.

In Himachal Pradesh, the temperatures slipped below normal for the third day in a row with the higher reaches experiencing snowfall, as Kalpa and Kufri recorded the highest precipitation. Narakanda, Keylong and other places also recorded snowfall on Sunday.

Sandeep Kumar Sharma, senior official, IMD Shimla, said, “Cold wave conditions are likely to continue at few places in the plain areas of Himachal Pradesh for next two days. Dry weather is expected to prevail in the state till January 1 and the higher reaches of the state will witness another spell of light rain and snowfall from January 2 to 5.”

In Uttarakhand, the minimum temperatures in hilly areas were in the range of 3°C to 4°C, with Mukteshwar (Nainital) reporting a minimum temperature of 2.9°C in the last 24 hours. Many parts of the state, including Dehradun, Jollygrant, Pantnagar, Khatima and Haridwar reported foggy conditions during this period.

Bikram Singh, director IMD Dehradun Centre said, “ Dry spell will prevail for the next one week (between December 30 and January 5) in all districts of the state while moderate to dense fog is likely over Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts.”

In the plains of India, cold wave conditions prevailed in Rajasthan, Haryana and Punjab.

Cold conditions prevailed in Chandigarh during the day with the city recording a maximum temperature of 11.3°C, its coldest day of the winter season so far, over eight notches below normal, according to the local Met office.

In Haryana, severe cold prevailed during the day at most places. The maximum temperature in Ambala was recorded at 12°C, Hisar 14.5°C, Karnal 13.2°C, Rohtak 12.7°C, and Gurugram recorded a high of 13°C.

In Punjab, a cold wave swept Pathankot, which recorded a high of 11°C while Bathinda registered a maximum of 12.4°C. Amritsar also shivered under biting cold with day temperature at 12.6°C.

Day temperatures went slightly up in most parts of Rajasthan, while some places on its eastern and western periphery still braved the cold.

According to the Jaipur Meteorological Centre, a dense fog engulfed Jaipur, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Churu, Sriganganagar, Barmer, Jaipur, Kota, Ajmer, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dausa, Jhunjhunu, Sawai Madhopur, and Sikar on Monday morning, hampering traffic movement on the highways.

According to the department, the lowest minimum temperature in the state was recorded at 5.2°C in Sirohi. Chittorgarh recorded a minimum of 5.3°C, Jodhpur 5.5°C, Dabok (Udaipur) 5.6°C and Jaipur 7.2°C.

The IMD has predicted a gradual fall in temperatures across parts of northwest and central India, including Delhi, over the next few days.

Dr Naresh Kumar, IMD official, said that temperatures are expected to drop by 3°C to 5°C in many regions. The IMD has also forecast dense to very dense fog in Punjab and Haryana for the next two days, which is likely to affect visibility and could lead to travel disruptions.

(With agency inputs)