Even if temperatures in North India rise briefly this week, a weather expert predicts that January 2023 will be the coldest for the region, with temperatures in the plains dropping as low as -4 degrees Celsius next week.
Severe chills are expected between January 14 and 19, with a peak from January 16 to 18, according to Navdeep Dahiya, the founder of Live Weather of India, an online weather platform.
While light rain in the national capital may provide some relief from the icy temperatures for a few days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also stated that cold wave conditions in isolated pockets over Delhi and its neighbouring states are very likely.
While he hedged his bets, saying there could be some changes in the outcome with three days to go and fog playing a critical role, the weatherman warned of single-digit maximum temperatures and “frosty mornings” or “coldblast” days.
“Also, keep in mind that this is a historic run in 11 days of January, and the next few days look really cold, #January 2023 could be historically coldest – maybe for the 21st century so far?” Mr Dahiya took to Twitter.
After several weeks of bone-chilling nights, the IMD predicted only temporary relief from the excruciating cold this week for residents of Northwest India.
An active western disturbance was expected to cause a 2-4 degree Celsius increase in minimum temperatures over the northwestern plains until the end of the week.
However, it warned of another burst of icy chill in the national capital following that.
The minimum temperature in Delhi was 9.3 degrees Celsius on Thursday, two notches above the season’s average, just days after the city experienced its third-worst cold spell in 23 years. According to the IMD, the maximum temperature will be around 19 degrees Celsius.
“A similar situation occurred in 2006, when the lowest temperature was 1.9 degrees Celsius. There was a similar cold spell in 2013 “RK Jenamani, an IMD weather scientist, told the news agency ANI.
Mr Jenamani predicted that drizzle and light rain would fall in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Western Uttar Pradesh, and North Rajasthan over the next few days.
