New Year to end Delhi’s dry spell; IMD predicts snowfall in J&K, rain in Punjab and Haryana; 7 states on cold wave alert
New Year to end 2 months long dry spell in Delhi, IMD predicts snowfall in J&K, rain in Punjab, Haryana
Peak winter has arrived as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued cold wave alerts for several states. It predicted snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir until 1 January due to a Western Disturbance.
The weather office warned of "severe cold day conditions" in Bihar today. Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh also remain on alert through the New Year.
The IMD said that cold waves are likely to occur in parts of East Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh through 31 December. Similar conditions are expected to affect West Rajasthan on 2 and 3 January. Parts of Himachal Pradesh, Telangana, and the Northern Interior of Karnataka will also face the chill at the start of the week.
Thick fog continues to blanket the north. "Very dense fog" will likely persist during the night and morning hours in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh until 1 January. Odisha and East Uttar Pradesh can expect low visibility through 2 January.
Delhi weather today and on New Year
Weather predictions indicate that the New Year will end 2 2-month-long dry spell in Delhi and is expected to bring relief from fog. Suggesting that a “Subtropical westerly Jet Stream” is prevailing over Delhi and is set to impact the weather conditions in the national capital, IMD predicted “Partly cloudy sky” for 31 December and 1 January. A yellow alert for a cold wave is in place today.
On Wednesday, “The minimum temperature will be above normal (0.2°C to 2.2°C) and the maximum temperatures will be above normal (0.6°C to 2.6°C) over Delhi,” the Meteorological Department added.
Predicting foggy conditions till 5 January, the weather agency said that the maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi are likely to be in the ranges of 18 to 23 degrees Celsius and 7 to 12 degrees Celsius during the 6-day period.
The regional meteorological department lifted the red alert for fog at 8:30 AM and issued an orange alert warning.
Due to dense fog, several flights were cancelled on Wednesday to and from Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA). Low visibility conditions resulted in the cancellation of nearly 148 flights out of the 1,300 daily flight movements at Delhi Airport. An official informed ANI about the cancellation of 78 arrivals and 70 departures.