The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a forecast predicting the persistence of cold day to severe cold day conditions across various regions of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and north Rajasthan in the next two days. According to the IMD, dense to extremely dense fog is expected to persist in sections of the plains of Northwest and East India over the next three days before gradually diminishing.
Speaking to the media, Dr. Mrityunjay Mohapatra, Director General of IMD, stated, "During 5-11th January, we are expecting night temperatures to fall, potentially leading to cold wave conditions in some parts of central India. Day temperatures will also be below normal, resulting in cold day conditions, especially in Madhya Pradesh, northern parts of Maharashtra, and southern parts of Uttar Pradesh."
The IMD also anticipates light to moderate rainfall in certain areas of south Tamil Nadu, south Kerala, and Lakshadweep over the next 3-4 days. Isolated heavy rainfall is predicted over Lakshadweep from Monday to Thursday and south Tamil Nadu on Monday and Thursday. The influence of a fresh easterly wave and Low Pressure Area over the West Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining Southeast Arabian Sea is cited as the cause.
A dense to extremely dense fog is expected to dominate night and early morning hours in various parts of Punjab from Monday to Friday, according to IMD warnings. Additionally, Haryana and Chandigarh are likely to experience dense to very dense fog conditions during Monday to Wednesday, with isolated pockets expected in the subsequent two days.
Severe to extremely dense fog conditions are forecasted in several portions of Uttarakhand from Tuesday to Saturday, east Rajasthan from Tuesday to Wednesday, and scattered pockets across western Rajasthan on Tuesday and Wednesday. The IMD further predicts dense fog conditions in isolated pockets during early morning hours over Himachal Pradesh until Saturday, over Uttar Pradesh until Thursday, over Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, and over Bihar, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura during Tuesday and Thursday. Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, and Jharkhand are also expected to experience dense fog conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the statement.