Cold wave in India: Dense fog to grip north, northwest in first week of 2023

Cold Wave: Parts of north and northwest India are likely to face cold wave and dense fog conditions in the first week of 2023, according to the weather office. The weather department has forecast dense morning fog over Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh during this period. 

Cold wave conditions are also likely in isolated pockets over Chandigarh, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and western Madhya Pradesh on January 2.

The Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) bulletin said, “Due to light winds and high moisture near surface over Indo-Gangetic plains, dense to very dense fog very likely in some/many pockets in night/morning hours over Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh during next 2-3 days and in isolated places over Bihar during next 4 days. Dense fog in isolated pockets over Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Sub Himalayan West Bengal, Assam and Tripura during next 2 days.” 

Himachal Pradesh is also likely to report cold wave to severe cold wave from January 2-4. It added that cold wave to severe cold wave conditions is very likely in isolated pockets over north Rajasthan from January 2-3. 

The IMD said that minimum temperatures may fall to 2-4 degrees Celsius over northwest and adjoining central India during the next two days due to north-westerly winds from the Himalayas over the plains of northwest India, the bulletin dated January 02, 2023 further read. 

IMD Director General Mrityunjay Mohapatra told news agency PTI that minimum and maximum temperatures may be low over Madhya Pradesh, southern Uttar Pradesh, east Rajasthan and adjoining areas. 

He said, “But temperatures will be normal over Haryana and Punjab and could be above normal over higher areas like Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.”

(With agency inputs)

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