The national capital continued to experience a cold spell, marking its coldest day this month as the minimum temperature plummeted to 5.3 degrees Celsius, as per Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) data, two notches below the seasonal average. This temperature is nearly akin to that of Nainital, Uttarakhand, a well-known hill station. Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 17.5 degrees Celsius on Monday, slightly below the seasonal average.

An official from the IMD mentioned, “Cold day to severe cold day conditions are very likely to persist in some parts of Delhi on Tuesday and abate thereafter,”according to PTI. The weather department predicted a generally cloudy sky for Tuesday in Delhi, with a chance of light rain or drizzle.

Cold weather updates in other parts of North India

The weather department’s forecast indicates the likelihood of light rain accompanied by hailstorms in parts of Rajasthan on Monday night. This occurs as various regions in the state grapple with cold wave conditions and dense fog. Furthermore, isolated hailstorms are expected in East Rajasthan on Tuesday.

As per PTI, Radheshyam Sharma, the in-charge of Jaipur Meteorological Centre, explained that due to a western disturbance, areas like Jaipur, Ajmer, Bharatpur, Kota, and Udaipur divisions in eastern Rajasthan may experience hailstorms and light rain on Monday night.

IMD forecasts cold day conditions persisting in Rajasthan until Wednesday. Additionally, it predicts dense to very dense fog in some parts of Punjab and isolated areas of Haryana-Chandigarh until Wednesday, followed by dense fog in select regions for the subsequent four days.

In Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Bihar, dense to very dense fog is anticipated for a few hours during the night and morning on Tuesday, with dense fog in isolated pockets for the following 24 hours.

According to IMD’s weather bulletin on Monday, dense fog is expected in isolated pockets across Jammu division on Tuesday, and in Himachal Pradesh, north Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand on Tuesday and Wednesday, and in Odisha, West Bengal & Sikkim, Assam & Meghalaya, Mizoram & Tripura from the Wednesday till Friday.

The weather department additionally mentioned, “Cold Day to Severe Cold Day conditions very likely to continue in some parts over Punjab on 08th & 09th and over Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi on 08th January, 2024 and abate thereafter.”

Rain prediction for parts of India

IMD has indicated that owing to a trough stretching from the south Sri Lanka coast to the north coastal Tamil Nadu in the lower tropospheric levels, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Lakshadweep are expected to experience light to moderate rainfall over the next 4-5 days. Additionally, isolated heavy rainfall is likely in Tamil Nadu until Wednesday.

Further details from IMD said that the influence of a Western Disturbance, functioning as a trough in middle tropospheric westerlies along Long. 65°E to the north of Lat. 25°N, will interact with lower-level easterly winds. This interaction is anticipated to result in light isolated rainfall or snowfall over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh on Tuesday.

Moreover, IMD forecasts light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning in specific areas of Maharashtra from Monday through Wednesday, and over Gujarat on Tuesday and Wednesday.