Cold wave to persist for two days, but rabi crops seen largely safe

Cold to severe cold wave conditions are likely to persist over Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, and Odisha for the next two to three days before easing, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its latest forecast.

Minimum temperatures over northwest India are expected to remain largely unchanged for the next 48 hours, followed by a gradual rise of 3-5°C over the subsequent five days.

Over Maharashtra, temperatures are likely to stay steady for the next 24 hours, dip by 2-3°C over the following three days, and then rise gradually. Gujarat is expected to see no significant change over the next 48 hours, followed by a modest increase, while no major variation is forecast for the rest of the country.

Northwestern India and parts of central India are currently under cold wave conditions, with minimum temperatures dropping to or below 5°C at several locations, according to IMD data.

Hisar in Haryana recorded the lowest temperature at 1.5°C, followed by Karnal (2.0°C) and Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh (2.1°C) at 8:30am on 13 January, indicating severe cold conditions across Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh.

Major urban centres, including Chandigarh, Delhi (Safdarjung and Ayanagar) and Patiala, also experienced sharp cold, with minimum temperatures hovering around 3°C. In Rajasthan, cities such as Alwar, Ganganagar and Jaisalmer reported minimum temperatures between 3.2°C and 4.4°C, reflecting the spread of cold air into the desert region. Parts of central India also saw unusually low temperatures, with Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh recording a minimum of 4.9°C.

No impact on Rabi crops

Extreme cold waves are unlikely to significantly harm most rabi crops, as they are well adapted to low winter temperatures and are currently supported by adequate soil moisture and normal growth stages, according to agricultural experts.

However, they cautioned that frost during severe cold spells could pose a serious risk, particularly in northwestern and central India, where it can damage tender plant parts and disrupt flowering and grain development in crops such as wheat, mustard and pulses.

“The cold wave is generally conducive for crops. However, frost can pose a major threat to pulses and oilseeds during severe cold spells, especially across northwestern and central regions,” said Dr Anand Vishwakarma, principal scientist and project coordinator (Sesame and Niger) at ICAR-Jabalpur. He added that no incidents of frost have been reported from central India so far.

Meanwhile, India’s rabi crop sowing in 2025–26 has increased by over 1.76 million hectares to 64.42 million hectares as of 9 January, according to data released by the ministry of agriculture and farmers’ welfare on Tuesday.

The sown area is 2.8% higher than a year ago and exceeds the season’s average coverage of 63.78 million hectares, largely supported by higher acreage under wheat, rice, pulses and oilseeds.