While cold conditions are expected to extend further in most parts of the country till the next week, cyclonic circulation and western disturbances, over North and Central India will bring brief respite from the prevailing cold due to cloud cover and sporadic rain during the next 2-3 days. The hills of Jammu & Kashmir and upper reaches of Himachal are engulfed in snow cover.
According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the temperature will rise to normal or above normal over northwest India between January 22 and January 26, said IMD.
The scientists explained that an upper air cyclonic circulation lies over central Pakistan, its neighbourhood and a few places in the north. As a result of this, Punjab and Haryana, including Chandigarh are likely to get rain or remain cloudy during the next 24 hours. Along with this, the western disturbance has approached over Jammu and Kashmir which has increased the cloud cover over Northern plains, including Delhi - NCR. According to Skymet, country’s private weather forecaster, this will change the wind pattern to warm and humid south easterlies. All these will provide some temporary respite from the biting cold.
Parts of Madhya Pradesh and adjoining areas of Central India also got some respite from the severe cold due to moisture in the atmosphere, said the IMD sources. While light showers or thundershowers may occur at isolated places over Jabalpur and Shahdol divisions, weather is expected to remain dry over rest of Madhya Pradesh in next 24 hours. Certain parts of the State including Chambal and Jabalpur divisions, may get shallow fog. The minimum temperature however increased by about 3 degrees Celsius - 4 degrees Celsius in Bhopal, as per IMD.
According to Skymet, the hilly terrains of Jammu, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and around are under a grip of fresh snow fall and rains due to the brewing Western Disturbance in the region. With this, a prolonged spell of rain and snow is likely over all the three States. The intensity of the weather activity would be scattered and light initially.
Meanwhile, IMD claimed in its statement on climate of India, 2016, that the year was the warmest on record since its documentations began in 1901. The weather conditions in 2016 were in line with warmer than normal climate observed globally for this period, the statement said.