Cold winds from its northern belt have sent shivers down the spine of India. Generally, the months following the festival of Diwali see intermittent cold waves sweeping across the country. Such weather conditions tend to be the most severe in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and New Delhi during the month of December.
Just like past years, these areas have recorded among the lowest temperatures countrywide this month, dropping below 5 degrees Celsius on December 27. By the end of the year, the temperature is expected to drop even further.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned residents of these areas that they will be experiencing a severe cold wave and heavy fog in the coming days.
New Delhi gained a little bit of respite from the cold in the past few days due to a Western Disturbance. However, the relief is expected to be short-lived with cold winds from northernmost and north-western parts forecast to be bringing down the temperatures in the national capital by three to five degrees Celsius.
There are many factors that trigger such intense cold waves. Snowfall in the Himalayan regions of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand is followed by harsh cold winds blowing into the lower states of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and New Delhi, causing harsh winter conditions in these states.
When a Western Disturbance brought sudden rains and cloudy skies into the national capital on November 15, the maximum temperature of the region dropped but minimum temperature increased. However, from November 16, after the Western Disturbance was over, there has been a gradual reduction in minimum or night-time temperatures in Delhi.
The IMD has predicted fog and frost in the last couple of days of this month over small pockets of the northern states. Gurdaspur in Punjab recorded a low of 2 degrees Celsius while parts of east Uttar Pradesh recorded temperatures that were slightly above the 2-degrees Celsius mark.
Parts of Kashmir have recorded temperatures well below the freezing point recently. Gulmarg, Qazigund, Kupwara, and Kokernag recorded temperatures on the minus scale. IMD has predicted snowfall in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and rainfall and thunderstorms in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.
With the farmers’ protests under way in northern India, worsening cold and weather conditions in Delhi and Punjab are taking a toll on the protestors, with many having lost their lives and many at increasing risk of frostbite and death.
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