Temperatures were appreciably below normal at many places in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi on Friday, with the national capital recording a minimum of 7.5 degrees Celsius, the lowest in the month of November in 14 years. It is Delhi’s lowest minimum temperature in November since November 29, 2006, when the city recorded a minimum of 7.3 degrees Celsius, said Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD’s regional forecasting centre.
The city was also on the brink of a cold wave, the first this season. For the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 notches less than normal for two consecutive days.
“The criteria has been met on Friday. We will declare a cold wave in Delhi if the situation persists on Saturday,” Srivastava said. Delhi had recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 11.5 degrees Celsius last year, 10.5 degrees Celsius in 2018 and 7.6 degrees Celsius in 2017 in the month of November.
The all-time record for the lowest minimum temperature in November is 3.9 degrees Celsius recorded on November 28, 1938. Mahesh Palawat, an expert at Skymet Weather, a private forecasting agency, said cold winds blowing from snow-laden western Himalayas have led to a dip in the mercury and a similar situation will continue till Saturday.
A fresh Western Disturbance is approaching northwest India on November 23. It is likely to increase the minimum temperature by a few notches, he said. The minimum temperature this month, barring on November 16, has remained 2-3 degree Celsius below normal in the absence of a cloud cover, according to IMD officials.
Clouds trap some of the outgoing infrared radiation and radiate it back downward, warming the ground. Cold wave continued in Himachal Pradesh with tourist places Keylong and Kalpa shivering at below zero degrees Celsius, the Meteorological Department said.
Tribal district Lahaul and Spiti’s administrative centre Keylong was recorded as the coldest place in the state at minus 5 degrees Celsius, Shimla Met Centre Director Manmohan Singh said. Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded a low of minus 2 degrees Celsius, he added.
The minimum temperature in Manali, Dalhousie and Kufri was recorded at 0.4, 3.2 and 3.9 degrees Celsius respectively, Singh said. He said Shimla recorded a low of 5 degrees Celsius.
The weather in the state remained dry on Friday, Singh said. Night temperatures have dipped in several areas of Rajasthan, with Mount Abu, the only hill station in the state, recording a low of 2 degrees Celsius, the meteorological department said here on Friday. Churu recorded a minimum temperature of 5.7 degrees Celsius, Sikar 6 degrees Celsius, Pilani 7.1 degrees Celsius, Sriganganagar 9.8 degrees Celsius and Bikaner recorded a low of 10 degrees Celsius, it added.
The maximum temperatures recorded in most of the cities were 30 degrees Celsius or lower, a weather department official said. The department’s forecast said night temperatures were likely to fall further in the next 24 hours. In Haryana and Punjab, the maximum and minimum temperatures hovered below normal limits.
Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a high of 23.5 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, according to the Meteorological Department here. In Haryana, Ambala recorded a high of 23.8 degrees Celsius, down three notches against normal while Hisar’s maximum settled at 23.7 degrees Celsius, five degrees below normal.
Karnal registered a high of 23.2 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season’s average. In Punjab, Amritsar recorded a high of 22.4 degrees Celsius, while Ludhiana registered a maximum of 23.2 degrees Celsius, both four notches below average.
Patiala’s maximum settled at 24.6 degrees Celsius, four notches below normal limits. Meanwhile, the minimum temperatures hovered one to three notches below normal at most places in the two states.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Coronavirus News here
Comments
0 comment