Several parts of North India, including Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh, woke up to severely disrupted conditions on Tuesday as a thick blanket of dense to very dense fog engulfed the region. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert, stating that these challenging visibility conditions are very likely to persist during night and morning hours over these states, along with Himachal Pradesh, until January 1.
Visibility Plummets to Zero in Key Areas
The fog situation was particularly severe in the morning hours, with zero visibility reported at Amritsar, Adampur, Halwara, and Pathankot. Other major towns in Punjab recorded dangerously low visibility levels: just 10 metres in Gurdaspur and Ludhiana, 20 metres in Patiala and Ballowal Saunkhri, and 40 metres in Bathinda.
The neighbouring state of Haryana and the union territory of Chandigarh were also severely affected. Visibility dropped to a mere 5 metres in Ambala, Rohtak, and Bhiwani, while Hisar recorded 10 metres. Chandigarh reported visibility of 40 metres, significantly hampering road and air travel.
IMD Forecast: Fog, Rain, and Temperature Fluctuations
According to the IMD, the weather pattern is set to remain active. Due to the influence of a western disturbance, isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall and snowfall is likely over Himachal Pradesh from December 30 to January 2. Furthermore, isolated light to moderate rainfall is expected over Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh on December 31 and January 1.
The temperature profile across the region presents a mixed picture. Minimum temperatures were below 4°C at a few places over Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana. The IMD predicts a gradual rise in minimum temperature over northwest India by 3°C to 4°C during the next 2 days. However, this will be followed by a fall of 3°C to 4°C for the subsequent 3 days.
Residents should brace for cold day conditions in isolated pockets over Himachal Pradesh on December 31 and January 1. Additionally, cold wave conditions are likely in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh from December 31 to January 3.
State-Wise Temperature Trends and Extremes
A detailed look at the temperature data reveals specific trends for each state. In Punjab, the average minimum temperature recorded until Tuesday morning showed a rise of 1.5°C compared to Monday and was above normal by 2.2°C. Gurdaspur recorded the state's lowest minimum at 4°C, while Pathankot registered the highest minimum at 10.3°C.
In Haryana, the average minimum temperature saw a smaller rise of 0.4°C compared to Monday and was recorded near normal. Narnaul was the coldest spot in the state at 3.8°C, while Nuh in Mewat recorded the highest minimum temperature of 10.2°C.
The persistent fog and the forecast of upcoming rainfall and temperature drops indicate that North India will continue to experience challenging winter weather in the final days of the year. Commuters are advised to exercise extreme caution, check travel schedules, and stay updated with the latest IMD bulletins.
