M A I N   N E W S

No respite from biting cold: Met
Vibha Sharma/TNS

New Delhi, January 9
Cold wave continued to wreak havoc in the North with the region recording below normal day and night temperatures with dense fog disrupting road, train and flight operations. As rain and snowfall aggravated miseries of the common man, reports claim the severe cold has claimed the lives of around 140 persons during this season so far.

A similar situation is likely to continue for the next three-four days at least. The IMD today issued a warning saying the visibility would reduce to 200 m or less, temperature would go down further and ground frost conditions occur in Punjab and Haryana areas during the next 48 hours.

Some relief could be expected from January 14 onwards. Both day and night temperatures would see a rise, bringing the much needed relief to the common man, IMD Director SC Bhan told The Tribune.

For the time being, however, the situation might worsen. The next three days would see a further fall in night temperatures, a condition that might work out in favour of standing wheat crop, Bhan said. Frost could be expected in plains of Punjab and Haryana, he said. “A western disturbance (WD) from January 14 will bring respite,” he added. The present severe weather conditions were due to a strong WD that arrived around January 8 and the long gap between it and the one coming on January 14, he added.

“A western disturbance spells cold weather conditions. How far the temperatures would dip depends upon its strength and the gap between two consequent WDs. Had the January-14 WD arrived a couple of days earlier on January 10 or 11, temperatures would not have seen such a drastic fall,” he said.

Meanwhile, Bhan termed snow in parts of Punjab a situation that “may happen but at the same time is also not so common”. “It can happen due to a strong WD and change in wind direction,” he said ruling out speculations about climate change.