The India Meteorological Department on Sunday forecasts cold wave conditions in northern India starting Sunday, December 29, according to a statement issued by the agency.
From December 29 to January 1, isolated cold wave conditions will affect Himachal Pradesh, while Punjab and Haryana will face similar conditions until January 3. Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Rajasthan may also experience cold wave conditions on December 30 and 31.
Drop in temperatures: Northwest India will experience a 3-5°C reduction in minimum temperatures for two days, remaining stable thereafter. Western and central India will see a similar drop in temperature for three days after 24 hours of stability. Temperatures in eastern India will remain constant for two days before dropping by 2-4°C.
Cold Day Warnings Issued: Severe cold day conditions were observed in parts of Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, and isolated areas are expected to face similar conditions on Sunday. Cold day conditions are also forecast for Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh and Rajasthan on December 29.
Delhi records wettest December in more than a century: Delhi witnessed a historic downpour, with the highest single-day rainfall in December in 101 years recorded at 41.2 mm in the last 24 hours till 8:30 am on Saturday.
“The 24-hour cumulative rainfall ending at 8.30 am today is the second highest since 1901 in Safdarjung. The monthly rainfall is the fifth highest. The 24-hour cumulative rainfall refers to the rainfall during the last 24 hours , which ended at 8.30 am I am IST on the indicated date,” the IMD official said.
IMD officials pointed out that the last time Delhi saw such heavy rainfall in December was in 1923, with 75.7 mm recorded in a single day. December 2024 now ranks as the fifth wettest December since records began in 1901.
Daytime temperatures in the capital remained below normal due to rain, recording a minimum of 12.7°C, six degrees above the seasonal average.
Dense fog ahead: Sunday’s forecast indicates very dense fog with temperatures ranging between 17 and 9 degrees Celsius in Delhi, while a minimum temperature of 12.7 degrees Celsius was recorded on Saturday, six degrees above average due to the precipitation.
Air quality improves: Delhi’s air quality showed significant improvement due to rain, with the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 135 in the ‘moderate’ category on Saturday. This is in stark contrast to the “very poor” category recorded on Friday.
Four monitoring stations (Aipur, IHBAS Dilshad Garden, Lodhi Road and Sri Aurobindo Marg) recorded satisfactory AQI levels below 100.
Heavy snowfall disrupts life in Kashmir: Kashmir witnessed widespread snowfall from Friday with heavy to very heavy snowfall recorded in the plains of south Kashmir. Central Kashmir received moderate snowfall, while the plains of northern Kashmir experienced light to moderate snowfall, officials stated.
The Jammu-Srinagar national highway was closed to traffic due to heavy accumulation of snow, especially near the Navyug tunnel, where clearance operations were hampered. Train services on the Banihal-Baramulla section were also suspended as the tracks became inaccessible. Air traffic at Srinagar airport was severely affected and flight operations were completely suspended due to adverse weather conditions, airport authorities confirmed.