North India under cold grip, light to heavy rainfall may take place across India in next 24 hours

Kashmir ushered in the New Year on a dry note even as the cold wave intensified in the valley with the minimum temperature plunging two to three degrees further below the freezing point, officials said on Monday. File photo

The first day of the New Year saw Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Kashmir under the grip of cold with dense fog covering most places. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has previously issued a red signal for January 1 in these locations.

According to the IMD forecast, parts of Punjab will witness coldwave conditions from January 2-4, Haryana will also witness similar weather till January 4, while Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh were to witness severe cold conditions on May 1. The IMD had issued an orange alert for January 1 across Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.

Kashmir

Kashmir ushered in the New Year on a dry note even as the cold wave intensified in the valley with the minimum temperature plunging two to three degrees more below the freezing point, officials said.

There has been no snowfall in most plain areas of Kashmir while upper reaches of the valley have also received lesser than usual amount of snow by the end of December. The open skies have resulted in the minimum temperature sliding further in most parts, including Srinagar, the officials said.

The minimum temperature dropped in the summer capital of Srinagar to minus 5.2 degrees Celsius from the previous night's minus 3.4 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam in south Kashmir's Anantnag district, which serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.7 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night's minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, they said.

Punjab and Haryana

Cold weather conditions prevailed in many parts of Punjab and Haryana on January 1 with Gurdaspur recording a minimum of 6 degrees Celsius. Shallow fog was also observed at some places in the two states early morning.

According to the Meteorological Department report, Faridkot recorded a low of 8 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana 8.2 degrees Celsius and Amritsar 9.2 degrees Celsius. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a low of 9.2 degrees Celsius.

In Haryana, Karnal recorded a low of 8.1 degrees Celsius while Hisar, Narnaul and Bhiwani recorded respective minimums of 8.3 degrees Celsius, 8.8 degrees Celsius and 8.3 degrees Celsius.

Rajasthan

Rajasthan's capital Jaipur recorded a minimum temperature of 7.6 degrees Celsius on the first day of the New Year, while Phalodi and Sikar recorded the lowest temperature in the state at 5.6 and 6 degrees Celsius, the Met department said. Jaisalmer recorded a temperature of 6.2 degree Celsius followed by Bikaner at 6.4 degrees, while Sirohi and Sangria logged a temperature of 7.7 degrees. The weather remained dry in the state, with moderate to dense fog observed in some parts, said a MeT spokesperson.

Rain alert

Meanwhile, due to lower-level easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal, there may be isolated light rainfall in Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh from January 1-3, according to the IMD.

According to Skymet reports, Lakshwadeep is expected to receive moderate to heavy rain over the next 24 hours. On January 2, light isolated rain is probably expected over South Uttar Pradesh and parts of Madhya Pradesh, which may intensify the next day, according to Skymet reports.

Temperatures in the northern half of the country are forecast to be in the 6-9 degree Celsius range throughout the first week of the New Year.

(With agency inputs)