Parts of North India, particularly Punjab and Haryana, woke up to severe cold wave and dense fog conditions on Sunday, significantly reducing visibility and impacting daily life. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also issued a warning for intense rainfall and snowfall, accompanied by snowstorms, in Himachal Pradesh over the coming days.
Visibility Plummets, Cold Conditions Prevail
Visibility dropped to a mere 50 meters in several key locations across Punjab, including Amritsar, Halwara, and Gurdaspur. In neighboring Haryana, cities like Hisar and Sirsa also reported poor visibility. The IMD noted that visibility was around 100 meters in Himachal Pradesh's Bilaspur and Una. Minimum temperatures remained below 5°C in isolated parts of Himachal Pradesh, while many areas in Punjab and a few in Haryana recorded lows between 5°C and 10°C.
IMD Forecast: More Fog, Heavy Snowfall Ahead
The weather office has predicted that dense fog during night and morning hours is very likely to continue in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh on December 22. A bigger concern is the active western disturbance affecting the Himalayan region. The IMD forecasts isolated to scattered rainfall and snowfall over Himachal Pradesh for the next three days.
More alarmingly, a warning for heavy rainfall and snowfall, accompanied by snowstorms with wind speeds reaching 50-60 kmph (gusting to 70 kmph), has been issued for isolated places over northeast Himachal Pradesh in the next 24 hours. This is expected to severely reduce visibility due to falling snow.
Temperature Trends and State-wise Data
While the cold wave persists, minimum temperatures showed a slight rising tendency over the past 24 hours. They increased by 2-4°C in some parts of Haryana and by 1-2°C at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh and Punjab. No significant change in minimum temperature is expected over Northwest India in the next two days, but a gradual fall of 3-5°C is likely in the subsequent three days.
Specific state data reveals that Punjab's average minimum temperature rose by 2°C compared to Saturday and was recorded at 4.6°C above normal. Gurdaspur was the coldest in the state at 6.8°C. In Haryana, the average minimum temperature was 1.8°C higher than Saturday and 1.8°C above normal, with Narnaul recording the lowest at 5.2°C.
Residents across these northern states are advised to exercise caution while traveling, especially during early morning and late night hours, and to stay updated with the latest IMD warnings.
