Cold Wave freezes water sources in Himachal, Kashmir; Rain in Delhi
The spell of cold wave in parts of India has frozen lakes, springs, rivulets and water pipelines and has taken temperatures 14-18 degrees below the freezing point. Some areas of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir are among those reeling under the harshest cold wave.
In Himachal Pradesh, high-altitude tribal areas and mountain passes reeled under a piercing cold, with the mercury staying 14-18 degrees below the freezing point on Sunday. Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir’s Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday night marking a rise of nearly four degrees from the previous night.
Delhi woke up to light rain on Monday amid severe category Air Quality Index (AQI). The AQI in Delhi worsened from ‘very poor’ to ‘severe’ over the weekend and the maximum temperature settled three notches above normal at 24.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
Weather updates
Cold wave in Himachal Pradesh: Cold wave in the lower hills of Himachal Pradesh forced the local weather department to issue an orange alert on Sunday in Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi districts, while Kashmir, though still sub-zero, got some respite with a rise in night temperature. In Himachal Pradesh, Tabo was the coldest with a low of minus 11. 6 degrees, while Sumdo, Kusumseri and Kalpa recorded a low of minus 5.3 degrees, minus 4.8 degrees, and minus 1.8 degrees Celsius.
Yellow warning in Himachal: The weather station also issued a yellow warning for dense fog over some parts of the Bhakra Dam reservoir area and Balh Valley in Mandi from December 24 to 26. Thick ground frost could be seen at isolated places in the lower hills during this period.
Minus 14-18 deg C in HP: High-altitude tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh and mountain passes reeled under a piercing cold, with the mercury staying 14-18 degrees Celsius below the freezing point. Water pipes were frozen at many places in mid and higher hills, as were springs, rivulets and tributaries of snow-fed rivers, reducing the discharge of water, which severely affected hydropower generation.
Water bodies, supply lines freeze in J&K: In Jammu and Kashmir as well, the extreme cold led to the freezing of water supply lines and the forming of thin layers of ice on the surfaces of several water bodies, authorities said. Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday night marking a rise of nearly four degrees from the previous night. Pahalgam in South Kashmir, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, registered a low of minus 4.9 degrees Celsius. Gulmarg, a tourist resort town known for skiing activities in north Kashmir logged a minimum temperature of minus 4.6 degrees Celsius.
Chillai Kalan in J&K: Chillai Kalan, the 40-day period of harshest winter, commenced in Kashmir on Saturday with Srinagar experiencing its coldest December night in five decades at minus 8.5 degrees Celsius, according to the meteorological department. In Srinagar, the temperature came down to minus 8.5 degrees Celsius on Friday night from minus 6.2 degrees Celsius the previous night, the meteorological department said. It was Srinagar’s coldest December night since 1974, when the city recorded a low of minus 10.3 degrees Celsius, and the third coldest since 1891.
Light rain forecast for Delhi: In Delhi, the minimum temperature had settled a notch below normal at 7.3 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature was recorded three notches above normal at 24.1 degrees Celsius. The IMD has forecast cloudy skies with light rain for Monday. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle at 20 and 7 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Cold wave in Rajasthan: Cold wave conditions continued in parts of Rajasthan on Sunday also, with Karauli recording the lowest minimum temperature at 4.5 degrees Celsius, the meteorological department said. The weather in the state was mainly dry and some places witnessed fog, it said. Sangaria recorded a minimum temperature of 5.3 degrees Celsius, Fatehpur 5.4 degrees Celsius, Churu and Alwar 6.6 degrees Celsius, Sriganganagar 7 degrees Celsius, Dholpur 7.5 degrees Celsius, and Anta 7.8 degrees Celsius, according to the met.