As daytime temperatures dipped across northern parts of the country, cold to severe cold day conditions persisted in most parts of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, the India Meteorological Department said.
The weather conditions are likely to remain the same till Tuesday.
A cold day is declared when the maximum temperature is lower than 10 degrees Celsius and is 4.5 degrees Celsius to 6.4 degrees Celsius below normal. A severe cold day is declared when the maximum temperature is 6.5 degrees Celsius below normal.
Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, the director general of India Meteorological Department, said that the cold conditions have persisted since an intense western disturbance passed over North West India last week, the Hindustan Times reported.
“After a western disturbance passes, cold northerly winds bring extremely cold air from the Himalayas to this region,” he said. “These chilly winds bring down day temperatures.”
Many parts of northwest India reported a significant dip in daytime temperatures on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. The temperature at night, however, was above normal.
Dense to very dense fog was reported from some parts of Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and East Uttar Pradesh and isolated pockets over Jammu, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh and Assam.
On Sunday early morning, Rajasthan’s Bikaner city logged zero visibility due to fog.
Under the influence of another western disturbance, the weather department has predicted widespread rainfall or snowfall over western Himalayan and isolated to scattered rain over parts of North West India between January 21 and January 23, the Hindustan Times reported.
Dense to very dense fog may prevail in isolated parts of Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and East Uttar Pradesh over the next two days.
Cloudy conditions in Maharashtra
Cold, cloudy and hazy conditions will prevail in Maharashtra for the entire week, the India Meteorological Department said on Monday. The maximum temperatures, except in the Konkan region, dipped by 3 degrees Celsius to 7 degrees Celsius below normal, The Indian Express reported.
Jalgaon and Gondia cities reported a minimum temperature of 11 degrees Celsius, making them the coldest cities in the state on Sunday.
The day temperatures will remain far below normal till January 20 in Maharashtra, said Anupam Kashyapi, head of weather forecasting division at India Meteorological Department in Pune, The Indian Express reported.
“There will be a chill-like feeling that will be experienced during this period. The sky conditions will turn cloudy from time-to-time,” he said
Meanwhile, a cyclonic circulation has formed off the Konkan coast in the central part of the Arabian Sea.
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