North India continues to face severe cold weather conditions, with dense fog and cold to severe cold days anticipated to last over the next four to five days, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The Delhi-NCR region has seen a slight improvement as the dense fog lifts, allowing for some sunshine, although the cold persists due to strong jet stream winds at higher altitudes maintaining the subsidence of cold air over the region. A strong western disturbance is predicted to affect the Western Himalayan region around January 26, but it remains unclear if it will alleviate the severe weather over the northern plains.
Cold wave conditions have been forecasted for Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and north Rajasthan in the coming days, with minimum temperatures dipping 2-4 degrees Celsius below normal across several northern states. Hissar in Haryana reported the lowest minimum temperature of 2.8 degrees Celsius. Red and orange category warnings by IMD signal agencies to prepare for extreme weather events including dense fog and cold conditions, particularly over the Indo-Gangetic Plain states. Freezing temperatures and ground frost are also expected in isolated parts of Uttarakhand.
The ongoing weather scenario is attributed to a deficit in western disturbances and the El Nino conditions over the equatorial Pacific. Such atmospheric dynamics are expected to sustain the cold conditions for a few more days due to continuous strong jet stream winds. Updates from the Meteorological Department further sound a cold wave alert for Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Haryana, and Punjab, with disruptions in transportation due to the dense fog. Low clouds over the Himalayan foothills and Gangetic plains, saturated with high moisture levels, complicate the weather patterns, as residents are urged to take caution during this prolonged cold wave and foggy period in North India.