Severe cold conditions to continue till January 26 in Punjab: IMD
Chandigarh, January 24
The day as well as night temperature in Punjab remained several degrees below normal and many areas experienced dense fog as the severe cold wave swept north India during the past 24 hours.
“Maximum temperatures were in the range of 10-15 degrees Celsius over many parts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, which were below normal by 7-10 degrees,” said the India Meteorological Department (IMD). During this period, maximum temperature recorded in the state was 14 degrees Celsius in Patiala, while the lowest maximum temperature was 9 degrees Celsius in Gurdaspur.
According to the IMD, the daily mean maximum temperature for Patiala during the month of January is 19.2 degrees Celsius, while that for Gurdaspur is 18 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperatures were in the range of 1.7 degrees Celsius at Ballowal Saunkhri in SBS Nagar to 5.8 degrees Celsius in Faridkot, which are below normal by 2-4 degrees.
The highest departure from normal in day temperature was recorded in Bathinda, which was 9.6 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature in Bathinda was 10.2 degrees Celsius compared to the mean of 20 degrees Celsius for January.
The highest departure in night temperature was in Patiala, 2.8 degrees below normal. The city recorded 3.6 degrees Celsius compared to the January mean for 6.6 degrees Celsius.
The IMD, in its bulletin issued today, has extended the forecast for rain or snow in the region by another two days. “Under the influence of two feeble western disturbances, light isolated rain or snowfall is likely over the western Himalayan region from January 25-30,” the bulletin stated.
Severe cold conditions are very likely to continue in parts of Punjab till January 26 and cold day conditions in isolated pockets on January 27-28. Dense to very dense fog conditions is also very likely to prevail for a few hours in night and morning till the morning of January 28, the IMD said.
