The country’s capital and its surrounding areas are experiencing a cold wave, with temperatures falling below four degrees Celsius for the first time this winter. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said that although the temperature recorded at the Delhi base station Safdarjung on Sunday morning was 4.6 degrees, it dropped to 3.3 degrees and 3.6 degrees at Jafarpur and Lodhi Road, respectively.

The Meteorological Department issued yellow warnings to the capital on Sunday and Monday.

IMD Director General of Meteorology RK Jenamani further stated that there may be drizzle on December 24 or 25. IMD has several color-coded warnings that describe the weather in a particular location. These warnings were issued after analyzing weather forecast data for a few days in a specific area.

The yellow weather warning indicates severe weather. It also indicates that the weather may get worse, leading to interruptions in daily activities and requiring people in the area to be vigilant.

These warnings are universal in nature and can also be issued during floods or heavy rains. IMD also issued a yellow alert to Uttarakhand from December 18th to 21st. In many parts of the state, such as Ranichauri, Mukteshwar, Mussoorie, Pithoragarh and New Tehri, the temperature is below zero or close to zero. Due to strong, dry weather, cold waves have prevailed in the country’s capital in the past two days. IMD said that the northwest wind is cold. However, the meteorological department added that as the weather improves, the spell will begin on December 21.

Due to the drop in wind speed, the daytime temperature in Delhi on Monday may be around 19 degrees Celsius. According to forecasts, the night temperature in the capital is expected to hover around 4 degrees. If the maximum temperature is 4.5 degrees below the normal level, the meteorological department will announce a cold day. If the lowest temperature of the day is 4.5 degrees below the normal level or below 4 degrees, it will declare a cold wave.

Cold wave throughout northern India

Several areas in northwest India have recorded sub-zero temperatures. In Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir, the highs and lows of the day were several notches below normal levels.

Sikar in eastern Rajasthan recorded negative 2.5 degrees, which was 8.5 degrees below normal. Churu in the western desert state recorded negative 2.6 degrees, which was 8.4 degrees below normal. Amrit in Punjab province had a negative 0.5 degree, 4.3 degrees below normal, and a maximum of 15.5 degrees, which was 5 degrees below normal. Bathinda recorded 0.1 degrees, which was 3.5 degrees below normal, and the highest was 17.6 degrees, which was 4 degrees below normal.

Complete News Source : Hindustan Times