North India has been shivering under a thick blanket of fog and cold wave conditions for the past few days.
Foggy conditions also have brought down visibility levels in the morning in many northern states. Delhi on Friday, December 23, recorded the season’s coldest morning with the mercury dipping to 5.3 degrees Celsius.
Today as well the national capital witnessed a chilly morning, however, the temperature in the city was slightly higher. Data from Regional Meteorological Centre in New Delhi showed the temperature was recorded at 8.2 degrees Celsius.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), in its forecast for today, December 24, predicted mainly clear skies and moderate fog in the morning. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to be around 20 and 5 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The weathermen also predicted free from the dense layer of fog over Punjab, Haryana, North Rajasthan, Delhi, and Bihar though the minimum temperatures over the many parts of the Northwestern Plains are in the range of five to eight degree-Celsius.
Notably, cold day to very cold day conditions are prevailing in many pockets of Punjab and in some pockets over Haryana. Meanwhile, cold day conditions are also prevailing in isolated pockets over north Rajasthan.
In Punjab, Haryana, North West UP and North Rajasthan, the current state of affairs will continue for the next two days.
Dense fog conditions are also predicted over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand North Rajasthan, Bihar, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, and Tripura in night/morning hours during the next two to three days.
The Kashmir Valley is reeling under intense cold conditions as the mercury shows a continuous dip, especially during the night.
As per the local unit of the MET department, a minimum of minus 5.4 degree Celsius temperature was recorded today, December 24, in Srinagar, while the famous tourist destination, Pahalgam reeled at minus 6.4 was recorded.
The department has forecast dry but chilly weather conditions across the valley for the next 24 hours.