Light rain started overnight in Srinagar and other parts of the valley and continued intermittently, officials said. The weather department has forecast an increase in snowfall and rain in the valley over the next 48 hours.
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Weather Today: On Sunday, severe cold left people shivering in some parts of North India, while a thick blanket of fog slowed down movement in others. Snowfall in the higher reaches of North India and rain in the plains caused the mercury to drop in Jammu and Kashmir, while the cold intensified in Punjab and Haryana, and fog affected visibility in Delhi and parts of Uttar Pradesh. The Meteorological Department has predicted that there is no hope of relief in the next 48 hours.
Fog Impact
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy snowfall in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and northeastern Himachal Pradesh until Monday, with isolated rain and snow. According to the IMD, Palam, one of the major weather monitoring centers, recorded a minimum visibility of 300 meters between 10 p.m. Saturday and 12:30 a.m. Sunday due to moderate fog.
The IMD reported that visibility increased to 600 meters due to light fog, but dropped back to 350 meters due to winds blowing at a speed of 7 kilometers per hour from the east-southeast. According to the Meteorological Department, visibility at Safdarjung dropped to a minimum of 200 meters between 1:30 a.m. and 2:30 a.m. due to moderate fog.
According to the IMD, it gradually increased to 500 meters by 5:30 a.m. The minimum temperature was 9.4 degrees Celsius, 1.3 degrees above normal, while the maximum temperature was recorded at 18.1 degrees Celsius.
Flights affected
According to the Meteorological Department, the humidity was recorded at 100 percent at 5:30 pm. A total of 97 flights were cancelled and over 200 were delayed at Delhi airport on Sunday due to poor visibility caused by dense fog. Indian Aviation Authority officials told PTI that at least 11 flights were also cancelled at Srinagar International Airport due to the bad weather.
Severe cold weather sets in in Kashmir
Snowfall lashed the higher reaches of Kashmir and rain in the plains on Sunday. The onset of “Chilla-e-Kalan,” the 40-day harshest winter period in Kashmir, brought much-needed relief to the people of the valley after a long dry spell. Snowfall occurred in Gulmarg in Baramulla district of North Kashmir, where about two inches of snow had accumulated, officials said here.
They said snowfall began in Sonamarg on the Srinagar-Kargil highway on Sunday morning and continued until last reports came in. Sadhna Top, which connects the Tangdhar sector near the Line of Control with the main Kashmir Valley, has received moderate snowfall since Saturday night, accumulating about six inches of snow.
Officials said light rain began overnight in Srinagar and other parts of the valley, which continued intermittently. The Meteorological Department has forecast an increase in snowfall and rain in the valley over the next 48 hours.
The rains in Kashmir ended a prolonged dry spell. The dry spell had led to an increase in cases of common illnesses like coughs and colds, especially among children and the elderly. Rain and snowfall on the first day of Chilla-e-Kalan are considered auspicious by locals and a harbinger of good snowfall.
Last year, the dry winter caused severe problems for local residents and tourism workers. Gulmarg in North Kashmir was the only weather station where the mercury remained below freezing. The minimum temperature here was recorded at minus 1.5 degrees Celsius, five degrees above normal for this time of year.
Minimum temperatures at all other weather stations, including Pahalgam in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district, ranged between 2.5 degrees and 3.8 degrees Celsius. The Meteorological Department has forecast moderate to heavy snowfall in the higher reaches and light to moderate rain in the plains. The Chilla-e-Kalan (extreme cold) period will end on January 30. This will be followed by periods of ‘Chilla-e-Khurd’ (small cold) and ‘Chilla-e-Bachha’ (mild cold).
Chances of Rain
Moderate to heavy snowfall is expected at isolated places in Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti districts of Himachal Pradesh. According to the IMD, light to moderate rain is expected in these two districts as well as Chamba. The IMD also stated that dense fog is expected at isolated places in Una, Bilaspur (Bhakra Dam Reserve), and Mandi (Balh Valley) districts during the late night and morning of December 21 and 22.
How was the weather?
Severe cold conditions prevailed in many areas of Punjab and Haryana on Sunday, with dense fog covering many parts of both states. According to the Meteorological Department, Narnaul was the coldest place in Haryana, with the mercury dropping to 5.2 degrees Celsius. Gurdaspur in Punjab was the coldest place, with a minimum temperature of 6.8 degrees Celsius.
Dense fog enveloped many areas of both states in the morning, significantly reducing visibility. According to the Meteorological Department, Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a minimum temperature of 8.8 degrees Celsius. Bhiwani in Haryana recorded a minimum temperature of 6.5 degrees Celsius, Ambala 9.5 degrees Celsius, Rohtak 10.8 degrees Celsius, and Sirsa 10 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature in Amritsar in Punjab was 11.8 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana and Bathinda 8.6 degrees Celsius, Patiala 9.3 degrees Celsius, and Faridkot 10 degrees Celsius. IMD said that very dense fog prevailed in some parts of Uttar Pradesh, reducing visibility to less than 50 metres.
How long will the fog persist?
The department also predicted that dense to very dense fog will prevail in some areas of eastern Uttar Pradesh during the night and morning hours until December 23. A slight increase in temperatures has been recorded in Rajasthan, although night temperatures in most places remain below 10 degrees Celsius, according to the Meteorological Department.
After several days of severe cold, night temperatures in the state increased due to the influence of a western disturbance. According to the Meteorological Department, Fatehpur in Sikar recorded a minimum temperature of 8.9 degrees Celsius, up from 5.4 degrees Celsius on Friday.
The minimum temperature in Sikar was 9 degrees Celsius, compared to 5.8 degrees Celsius the previous day. Churu recorded a night temperature of 9.2 degrees Celsius, up from 7.6 degrees Celsius on Friday. Chittorgarh recorded a minimum temperature of 7.8 degrees Celsius, and Pilani (Jhunjhunu) recorded a minimum temperature of 9 degrees Celsius.
The Meteorological Department reported that the night temperature in Sirohi was 9.1 degrees Celsius, while Anta in Baran district recorded 9.8 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature in the state capital, Jaipur, was 12.8 degrees Celsius, nearly two degrees higher than the previous night.
According to the Meteorological Department, temperatures are expected to drop by two to three degrees Celsius from December 24th due to the influence of northerly winds. Dense fog is also expected in the northern and western parts of the state on December 23rd and 24th.
The IMD issued an alert on Sunday regarding cold and dense fog in parts of Jharkhand. Several districts in the state recorded minimum temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius.
According to the IMD, a ‘yellow alert’ has been issued for Garhwa, Palamu, Chatra, Latehar, and Lohardaga districts until 8:30 am on Monday. Dense fog alert has been issued in 15 districts including Garhwa, Palamu, Chatra, Hazaribagh, Koderma, Giridih, Deoghar, Ranchi, Ramgarh, Bokaro, Dhanbad and Khunti.
Cold wave-like conditions were also recorded in six districts of the state, with the minimum temperature dropping below 10 degrees Celsius, the IMD said in a bulletin. These districts include Gumla, Hazaribagh, Khunti, Latehar, Lohardaga and Ranchi.
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