The minimum temperature in the city of Churu in Rajasthan dipped to -0.5 degree Celsius on Tuesday as a cold wave continued to sweep through the North India, ANI reported, citing data from the weather department.
Located in North Rajasthan, Churu experiences extreme weather conditions, with the temperature soaring to more than 50 degrees Celsius in the summers. In 2019, a United Nations Development Programme report had cited environmental pollution, which leads to trapping of heat, as the reason behind the phenomenon.
On Tuesday, low visibility due to dense fog also led to an accident in Shekhawati area of the city as 10 vehicles crashed into each other. At least one person died and about 10 sustained injuries, reported TV9 Rajasthan.
Severe cold conditions are expected to prevail over parts of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department said in a bulletin. Meanwhile, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi will experience a cold wave and dense fog.
In Delhi, the weather observatory in Palam recorded a minimum temperature of 7.8 degrees Celsius on Wednesday morning, while Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 8.4 degrees Celsius, PTI reported.
There could be a gradual rise in temperatures in North India over the next two days due to a western disturbance, Mahesh Palawat, vice president (meteorology and climate change) of Skymet Weather told PTI.
The extratropical storm that originates in the Mediterranean region and brings sudden winter rain to the north-western parts of the Indian sub-continent is known as western disturbance.
In North India, the cold wave conditions are expected to return once the disturbance clears up, experts said.
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