Weather today: Cold wave, dense fog grip north India; UP on red alert

Dense fog and severe cold wave conditions disrupted normal life across several northern states, with Uttar Pradesh under red alert and Delhi witnessing flight cancellations amid low visibility

Intense cold wave conditions and dense fog continue to disrupt normal life across several northern states, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing a red alert for Uttar Pradesh amid persistent foggy conditions.

 

The national capital remained in the grip of a cold wave, with the sun largely obscured by clouds and pollutants lingering in the atmosphere, leading to reduced visibility. At least 129 flights were cancelled at Delhi airport on Saturday due to dense fog, reported PTI.

 

The IMD has issued fresh alerts for cold wave conditions, dense fog and snowfall across multiple regions, warning of further temperature fluctuations in the coming days.

 

Dense fog and cold wave warnings

 

According to the IMD, dense to very dense fog conditions during night and morning hours are very likely in some parts of Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana till the morning of December 21.

 

Dense to very dense fog is also expected in isolated pockets of Punjab and Haryana during December 25–27; west Uttar Pradesh on December 26 and 27; east Uttar Pradesh on December 22, 26 and 27; Jharkhand on December 21 and 22; and Madhya Pradesh till the morning of December 21. Dense fog conditions are likely in isolated pockets of northeast India till the morning of December 25.

 

Similar conditions are expected over West Bengal and Sikkim on December 21; Jharkhand on December 23; Bihar during December 21–23; Odisha on December 21 and 22; Himachal Pradesh on December 21 and during December 23–25; Uttarakhand on December 24 and 25; Punjab on December 21 and 24; Haryana on December 22 and 24; Madhya Pradesh on December 22; and Chhattisgarh on December 21 and 22.

 

Cold wave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets of Madhya Maharashtra and south interior Karnataka on December 21 and 22, north interior Karnataka on December 23, and Telangana during December 21–23.

 

Rainfall and snowfall forecast

 

The IMD has forecast scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall or snowfall over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad, and isolated to scattered rainfall or snowfall over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during the next three days.

 

Heavy rainfall or snowfall is likely at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad on December 21.

 

Temperature outlook

 

According to the IMD, minimum temperatures are expected to rise gradually by 2–3 degrees Celsius over northwest India during the next three days, followed by a fall of 2–4 degrees Celsius during the subsequent four days. There will be no significant change in minimum temperatures over Maharashtra, central India and northeast India during the next seven days.