Large parts of north India are expected to remain under dense to very dense fog conditions over the coming days, with reduced visibility likely during night and early morning hours, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Fog is expected to persist across Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and west Uttar Pradesh till December 31. East Uttar Pradesh may continue to experience low visibility until January 1, after which conditions are likely to improve gradually. Isolated pockets of dense fog are also forecast over east Madhya Pradesh and Arunachal Pradesh till December 29.
Similar weather conditions are likely to prevail over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Bihar, Assam and Meghalaya, along with Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Odisha till January 1, the IMD said.
Orange Alert in Delhi
An orange alert has been issued for Delhi on December 29 due to fog and cold conditions. The maximum temperature in the national capital is expected to hover around 22 degrees Celsius, while the minimum may dip to nearly 7 degrees Celsius.
Cold Wave Conditions Across States
Cold day conditions are very likely in isolated areas of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand on December 28 and 29, while Bihar may witness similar conditions on December 28. Cold wave conditions are also expected in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana and Madhya Pradesh on December 28 and 29, and in Jharkhand on December 28.
Poor Visibility Reported
Weather observations over the past 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on December 28 showed very dense fog in several parts of Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, with visibility dropping below 50 metres at many locations. Dense fog was also reported in isolated areas of the Jammu division, west Madhya Pradesh and Assam.
Several cities, including Amritsar, Pathankot, Agra, Prayagraj and Gwalior, recorded extremely poor visibility, at times nearing zero. In Delhi’s Safdarjung area, visibility was reported at around 100 metres during morning hours.
Cold day to severe cold day conditions were observed in isolated areas of Uttar Pradesh, while parts of Uttarakhand and Bihar also experienced cold day conditions. Cold wave conditions were recorded in pockets of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh.
Rainfall and Snowfall Forecast
The IMD has forecast light to moderate rainfall and snowfall over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad between December 30 and January 2. Isolated rainfall or snowfall is also likely over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during the same period. Parts of Punjab, Haryana, west Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan may receive light rainfall between December 31 and January 1.
Thunderstorms in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds are likely over the Andaman and Nicobar Islands from December 28 to January 1, with isolated heavy rainfall expected on December 28. Fishermen have been advised not to venture into the South Andaman Sea due to unfavourable weather conditions.
Temperature Outlook
Minimum temperatures over the last 24 hours dipped below 5 degrees Celsius in several parts of the western Himalayan region. Hisar in Haryana recorded the lowest minimum temperature among the plains at 2.5 degrees Celsius. The IMD said that minimum temperatures are unlikely to change significantly over northwest, central and east India in the next 24 hours, followed by a gradual rise in the coming days.