A relentless cold wave continues to grip the plains of Punjab and Haryana, with temperatures dropping sharply on Monday. Bathinda and Gurgaon both recorded an identical minimum temperature of 0.6 degrees Celsius. This makes them the coldest cities in the plains of India right now.
Punjab Sees Drastic Temperature Drops
The cold spell is hitting Punjab hard. Minimum temperatures fell drastically across the state. Amritsar recorded 1.1°C, while Faridkot saw 1.8°C. Gurdaspur registered 2°C, Ballowal 2.4°C, and Anandpur Sahib 2.9°C. The departure from normal minimum temperatures reached up to 4.4°C below average.
Haryana Also Records Below-Normal Lows
Haryana is experiencing similar freezing conditions. Temperatures there are also far below normal, with departures up to 3.7°C. Narnaul recorded 1.2°C, Bhiwani 1.5°C, and Sonipat 1.6°C. Sirsa saw 1.7°C, and Hisar registered 2.6°C. The twin capital Chandigarh recorded a minimum of 3.3°C, which is 3.6°C less than normal.
Dense Fog Worsens Visibility Issues
Dense to very dense fog conditions prevailed in most parts of Punjab and many areas of Haryana. Visibility dropped to zero in Amritsar. Ballowal reported just 10 metres of visibility. Bathinda, Faridkot, and Gurdaspur in Punjab all had visibility less than 50 metres.
In Haryana, Hisar saw visibility reduced to 10 metres. Karnal reported 30 metres, and Bhiwani had less than 50 metres. The fog is creating hazardous conditions for travel and daily activities.
IMD Forecasts Continued Cold and Fog
The India Meteorological Department issued a detailed forecast. Dense to very dense fog conditions are very likely to prevail in morning hours. This will affect isolated or some pockets over Haryana, Chandigarh, and Punjab until January 14th. Dense fog may continue in isolated pockets until January 18th.
Cold day to severe cold day conditions are very likely in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh on January 13th. Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are expected in isolated or some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Himachal Pradesh on January 13th and 14th.
Rainfall and Snowfall Predictions
The IMD also predicts light to moderate scattered to fairly widespread rainfall or snowfall over Himachal Pradesh during January 15th to 18th. Isolated rainfall is likely over Punjab on January 17th and 18th. This could bring some relief or further complicate conditions.
Temperature Trends Show Significant Falls
Comparing to Sunday, Punjab recorded a fall of 1.2°C in average minimum temperature until Monday morning. The state's average minimum was recorded below normal by 2.7°C. Haryana saw a fall of 0.8°C in average minimum temperature against Sunday. Its average minimum was below normal by 3°C.
The cold wave shows no immediate signs of relenting. Residents are advised to take necessary precautions against the severe cold and poor visibility.
