North India shivers under coldwave, IMD forecast suggests no immediate relief
Delhi continued to shiver on Saturday morning under the grasp of a relentless coldwave, accompanied by a thick layer of fog that has disrupted daily life for residents and commuters alike.
Several trains were delayed at Delhi’s Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station due to dense fog amid the severe coldwave conditions.
To combat the bone-chilling temperatures, streets and public spaces became dotted with small groups huddled together around bonfires to keep warm.
Drone visuals from Munirka and Vasant Vihar areas showed fog enveloping the city, reducing visibility and traffic slowing down to a crawl on major roads and highways.
The impact of the coldwave extended beyond Delhi, as neighbouring states experienced similar weather woes. In Uttar Pradesh, Ayodhya was blanketed in dense fog, causing disruptions to daily life. Similarly, in West Bengal’s Siliguri, a thick fog cover added to the woes of residents.
According to the India Meteorological Department, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh are experiencing dense to very dense fog at many places, severely affecting visibility and disrupting transportation. Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan are grappling with isolated instances of dense fog, creating challenging conditions for residents.
The IMD predicts that dense to very dense fog conditions are likely to persist over North India for the next five days. The meteorological department anticipates cold day to severe cold day wave conditions over the plains of Northwest India for the next three days, with a gradual reduction thereafter.
Dense fog is forecasted in isolated pockets of Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, north Madhya Pradesh, Jammu division, West Rajasthan, Bihar, Odisha, East Rajasthan, Assam & Meghalaya, Mizoram & Tripura during specific periods in the coming days.
In addition to the foggy conditions, the IMD predicts that Cold Day to Severe Cold Day conditions will persist in many parts of Punjab and Haryana-Chandigarh on January 13, with cold day conditions likely in isolated pockets for the subsequent three days. Isolated pockets of Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh are also expected to experience Cold Day conditions today.
On Friday, the national capital woke up to bone-chilling temperatures as the mercury plummeted to 3.9 degrees Celsius, marking the lowest temperature recorded this season, according to officials from the IMD.
The maximum temperature for the day settled at 19.3 degrees Celsius, slightly below the season’s average, further intensifying the coldwave that has engulfed the region. The IMD data revealed that Friday’s minimum temperature was the lowest for this date since 2018. On January 12, 2017, the city recorded a low of 3 degrees Celsius.
Railway officials said that 23 Delhi-bound trains experienced delays ranging from one to six hours due to the thick fog.