The biting cold wave continues to tighten its grip over Punjab and Haryana, with Hisar emerging as the coldest location in the plains of the country. The city recorded a frigid minimum temperature of 0.2 degrees Celsius on Thursday, a sharp 6.1 degrees below the normal seasonal average.
No Immediate Relief in Sight
Residents hoping for warmer days will have to wait. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that cold day conditions are likely to persist over Punjab, Haryana, and the union territory of Chandigarh on Friday, January 16th. The harsh weather shows little sign of abating.
Rain and Snow Forecast for the Region
The IMD has also predicted precipitation across several northern states. Light to moderate isolated or scattered rainfall or snowfall is likely over Himachal Pradesh from January 16th to the 21st. Isolated rainfall is expected over Punjab from January 18th to the 20th, and over Haryana and Chandigarh specifically on January 18th and 19th.
Near-Freezing Temperatures Across Haryana
Several districts in Haryana experienced temperatures hovering close to the freezing point. Mahendragarh shivered at 0.8°C, while Narnaul recorded 1.5°C. Jind and Sonipat both saw lows of 2.6°C. Mewat and Sirsa were slightly warmer but still bitterly cold at 2.9°C.
Punjab's Cold Spot: Bathinda
In neighboring Punjab, Bathinda remained the state's coldest city. It registered a minimum temperature of 1.6°C, which was 3.4 degrees below the normal mark for this time of year.
Widespread Cold and Dense Fog Conditions
The weather department reported severe cold day conditions prevailing across Haryana and Punjab. Cold to severe cold conditions were noted in parts of Himachal Pradesh, with isolated pockets of Punjab and Haryana experiencing cold wave conditions.
Adding to the misery, dense to very dense fog enveloped the region. Most parts of Punjab and many areas of Haryana were affected, with isolated pockets in Himachal Pradesh also reporting fog. This led to dangerously low visibility.
Visibility Drops to Zero in Some Areas
Amritsar in Punjab reported zero visibility. Ballowal saw visibility reduced to just 10 meters. Bathinda and Faridkot fared slightly better but still faced severely restricted visibility of 30 meters.
In Haryana, Hisar recorded 20-meter visibility. Ambala had 50 meters, Karnal 60 meters, and the capital Chandigarh reported visibility of 100 meters.
IMD's Fog Forecast Extends into Next Week
The IMD warns that the fog is not going away soon. Dense to very dense fog conditions are very likely to prevail during morning and night hours in isolated or some parts over Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh until January 17th. Furthermore, dense fog in isolated pockets is forecast to continue until January 22nd.
Similar dense fog conditions are also likely during morning and night hours in isolated pockets over Himachal Pradesh until January 17th.
Temperature Trends Show Minor Fluctuations
Data shows a slight warming trend, but temperatures remain critically low. Compared to Wednesday, Punjab recorded an increase of 0.1°C in its average minimum temperature by Thursday morning, bringing it to near normal for the state. Bathinda's 1.6°C was the lowest recorded.
Haryana saw a slightly larger increase of 0.2°C in its average minimum temperature from Wednesday to Thursday morning. Despite this minor rise, the state's average temperature remained a significant 2.7°C below normal. Hisar's 0.2°C was the lowest point recorded in Haryana.
