The IMD has forecast cold waves, dense fog, rain, and mild temperature fluctuations in northwest India, including Delhi.
Delhi-NCR to face rains
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that the temperature in northwest India will drop by about 2 degrees Celsius in the next two days. This will be followed by a gradual increase of 2-3 degrees Celsius. Some areas including Delhi are expected to experience cold days in the coming week. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 9.6 degrees Celsius on Thursday, while on Christmas, the city saw a maximum temperature of 22.4 degrees Celsius, two degrees above the seasonal average. The minimum temperature over Christmas was 8.4 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees Celsius above normal.
Regions like Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Punjab are likely to witness cold day conditions on December 27 and 28. Similarly, Rajasthan is also expected to face similar weather on the same dates. Additionally, the IMD has issued a cold wave warning for isolated areas of Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Punjab on December 26.
Dense fog is likely in many states
The IMD has also predicted dense fog conditions over some parts of Himachal Pradesh during late night and morning on December 26 and 29, and over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi on December 26 and December 28-31. Fog is likely over Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha, Assam and Meghalaya on December 26 and over Rajasthan from December 28-31.
Weather in Delhi
The weather in Delhi is expected to remain partly cloudy with a chance of light rain in the evening on December 26. Moderate fog or haze may be seen in the morning, while light fog may occur at night. On December 27 and 28, the IMD has forecast cloud cover with light to moderate rain and moderate to dense fog over some parts of the capital.
Air quality in Delhi
Delhi’s air quality improved slightly, moving from ‘severe’ to ‘very poor’ category, with an AQI of 342. An AQI between 301 and 400 is classified as ‘very poor’, while above 400 falls under ‘severe’. ‘Severe Plus’ category.