IMD issues alert for heavy rainfall as cold wave conditions intensifies across north India  

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heavy rainfall across several states as north India continues to shiver under a cold spell. 

According to IMD forecast, the harsh cold conditions, will be compounded by rainfall due to a western disturbance, are expected to worsen over the next seven days in states like Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana. 

The IMD has warned of an intense western disturbance set to impact Northwest India starting the night of December 26. An induced cyclonic circulation is expected to form over southwest Rajasthan on December 27, interacting with easterly winds to bring high moisture from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal until December 28. 

Over the next seven days, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Jammu and Kashmir, and Haryana are expected to see severe cold temperatures and heavy rainfall, according to the weather service. The districts of Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur, and Mandi in Himachal Pradesh are under an orange alert, according to the IMD.  

Isolated rains are predicted for areas of Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi-NCR during the course of the next few days. In Punjab, certain areas of Chandigarh are expected to experience fog and mild rain. 

The IMD has issued an orange alert for Himachal Pradesh, districts like Una, Hamirpur, Bilaspur and Mandi are under orange alert due to severe cold. Tabo recorded the lowest temperature in the state at 11.6 degrees Celsius, while Kusumseri and Sumdo registered 4.8 degrees Celsius and 5.3 degrees Celsius, respectively. Even Una, typically warmer, saw a sharp dip to 1 degrees Celsius at night, though it recorded a maximum of 23.8 degrees Celsius during the day. 

In Kashmir and other higher-altitude regions, freezing temperatures have caused water pipes to freeze and disrupted hydropower generation due to snow-fed rivers turning into ice. A yellow alert warns of persistent fog in the Bhakra Dam area and Balh Valley in Himachal, further complicating daily life. 

Meanwhile, parts of Delhi-NCR received light rain early on Monday as the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital marginally improved, but remained in the 'severe' category with a reading of 400 as of 9 am. 

The weather office has predicted rain in the national capital after Christmas from December 26 to 28 due to the interaction of a western disturbance in the region and a low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal. The weather phenomenon is expected to intensify the chill.