The Met Office informed that dense to very dense fog is likely in parts of northwest India during the morning hours over the next three to four days.
Cold-day conditions persisted across several parts of northern India on Friday, even as the maximum temperatures showed a slight increase amid clear skies and sunshine. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that “cold” to “severe cold day” conditions continued to prevail in many places, affecting regions in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Rajasthan. Cold day to severe cold-day conditions have been prevailing over many parts of north India since December 30-31.
The maximum temperatures in these areas ranged between 10 and 20 degrees Celsius. Amritsar in Punjab recorded a temperature of 9.4 degrees Celsius, approximately nine notches below the normal range. A cold day is defined when the minimum temperature is less than or equal to 10 degrees Celsius below normal, and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees Celsius below normal. On the other hand, a severe cold day occurs when the maximum temperature is 6.5 degrees Celsius or more below normal. Despite the cold conditions, the presence of clear skies and sunshine during the day offered some relief.
Dense fog conditions and low visibility
The Met Office informed that dense to very dense fog is likely in parts of northwest India during the morning hours over the next three to four days. As per the IMD, visibility is categorised as very dense fog when it ranges between zero and 50 meters. Between 51 and 200 meters is considered dense fog, while visibility between 201 and 500 meters is labeled as moderate, and between 501 and 1,000 meters is termed shallow.
Satellite imagery on Friday revealed a layer of fog or low-level clouds extending over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, reaching up to northeast India. Additionally, patches of fog were observed over Odisha. According to the IMD, visibility dropped to zero at Delhi’s Palam observatory, situated near the Indira Gandhi International airport.
At the Safdarjung airport, one could see up to a distance of 200 meters, as reported by an IMD official. Visibility levels significantly decreased to 25 meters in Amritsar (Punjab), Lucknow, and Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh), 50 meters in Chandigarh, Bareilly, Bihar’s Purnia, and Assam’s Tezpur, while Ambala and Ganganagar reported visibility levels of 200 meters.
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Delhi experiences season’s coldest morning on Friday
On Friday morning, the national capital experienced severe cold conditions, with the minimum temperature dropping to 3.9 degrees Celsius, marking the lowest point so far this season, as per weather department officials. According to data from IMD, Friday’s minimum temperature was the lowest recorded for this date since 2018. The city had previously recorded a low of 3 degrees Celsius on January 12, 2017.
The IMD’s forecast for Saturday includes partly cloudy skies and dense fog in the morning, with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to settle around 19 and 5 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Cold wave sweeps Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, UP
Ambala, in Haryana, registered a temperature of 11 degrees Celsius, marking a deviation of seven notches below the normal range. In Punjab, Ludhiana and Patiala recorded temperatures of 11.4 degrees Celsius and 12.1 degrees Celsius, respectively, indicating a deviation of approximately six notches below normal.
Ganganagar in Rajasthan experienced a shivering temperature of 12.7 degrees Celsius, which was seven notches below the normal seasonal range. Meanwhile, Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh reported a maximum temperature of 12.7 degrees Celsius, reflecting a deviation of around six notches below normal.
Cold wave hits Bihar
Bihar experienced a cold wave on Friday as temperatures dropped below 10 degrees Celsius in numerous districts. Gaya registered the lowest temperature in the state at 4.9 degrees Celsius, as per an IMD report. The IMD forecasts minimum temperatures to hover between 9 and 12 degrees Celsius in various parts of the state, including Patna, for the next four to five days.
According to the IMD, Banka ranked as the second-coldest at 6.3 degrees Celsius, followed by Motihari (6.8), Sabour in Bhagalpur at 7 degrees Celsius, Dehri (7.2), and Kaimur (7.6). The state capital, Patna, recorded a minimum temperature of 8.1 degrees Celsius. Widespread low visibility due to foggy conditions was reported across different parts of the state.
