Himalaya Harbinger, Uttarakhand Bureau
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Thursday predicted that cold wave conditions are likely to prevail at some places in Delhi, Chandigarh, Haryana and Punjab till January 6. Dense to very dense fog at many places is also expected.
On January 1, some areas of Rajasthan and Mumbai witnessed light rainfall. IMD officials said that this was caused under the influence of a western disturbance positioned over north Pakistan.
Delhi and some areas of Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh are likely to witness cold wave conditions till January 6 with dense to very dense fog in several areas, especially during the morning hours, according to IMD.
The Delhi met department said that the sky is likely to be partly cloudy on January 2 and mainly clear thereafter. It predicted the maximum temperature likely to remain between 16-18 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature will hover around 8-10 degrees Celsius.
Explaining the weather pattern, IMD scientist Naresh Kumar told PTI news agency that an active western disturbance is positioned over north Pakistan.
“Due to its influence, light to moderate rainfall and snowfall took place over the western Himalayan region. Very light rainfall activity also occurred over the NCR,” Kumar was quoted as saying.
On the pollution front, the city’s air quality index (AQI) remained in the ‘very poor’ category, with AQI recorded at 302 at 8 am on Friday.
IMD on Thursday informed that some areas of Rajasthan received light rain in the last 24 hours under the influence of a western disturbance. Parts including Ajmer, Bikaner, Jodhpur, Jaipur, and Bharatpur divisions received rainfall, with the highest precipitation of 26 mm recorded at Shri Dungargarh in Bikaner district.
It also said that over the next 2-3 days, there is a possibility of dense to very dense fog in most parts of the state. During this time, visibility may drop below 100 metres.
The maximum temperature may fall by 3-4 degrees Celsius between January 4 and 6. A mix of orange and yellow alerts was sounded across Rajasthan on Friday. An orange alert was issued in Jaipur, Bikaner, Sikar, Alwar, and Bharatpur. While a yellow alert was sounded in Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, Ajmer and Bundi for dense fog.
Kashmir on New Year welcomed fresh snowfall at popular tourist resorts and higher reaches of the valley. Several higher reaches, including Tulail Valley in Gurez, Razdan Top in Bandipora and Sadhna Top in Kupwara, also received fresh snowfall on Thursday.
However, despite the fresh snow, the valley continues to experience an unusually warm winter, with temperatures hovering 1.2 to 6.3 degrees Celsius above the seasonal average, PTI reported, citing officials
Due to cloud cover, the night temperatures remained higher than the seasonal average.
Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director general of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), told reporters that the northeast, parts of Bihar and Vidarbha will experience one to three days of additional cold days.
