The effect of winter is gradually increasing in the country. Fog, mist and cold wave like conditions have started forming in the plains of North India, although even after half the month of December has passed, the severe cold has not yet started completely. There has been no fresh snowfall in the hilly states so far, but the Meteorological Department says that in the coming days, there may be a big change in the weather due to the effect of jet stream and western disturbance. On the other hand, the air quality in the capital Delhi has worsened.
Effect of cold, fog increasing in North India
The effect of cold is clearly visible from Delhi to Bihar and from Rajasthan to Maharashtra. Delhi-NCR is in the grip of dense smog for the last two days. Although a slight increase has been recorded in the minimum temperature, the Meteorological Department has predicted a drop in temperature by about 2 degrees Celsius in the next three days.
It is extremely cold in many districts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. According to the Meteorological Department, the temperature here may fall further in the next 24 hours. Cold wave like situation prevails in Punjab and Haryana also.
Cold alert in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra
The temperature in eastern Rajasthan remains much below normal. At the same time, the Meteorological Department has issued a warning regarding severe cold in Madhya Pradesh, Madhya Maharashtra and Telangana. A rapid decline in night temperatures is being recorded in these states.
Waiting for snowfall on the mountains
According to the Meteorological Department, due to the effect of western disturbance and jet stream, there may be light rain in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Arunachal Pradesh. There is a possibility of snowfall in the hilly areas by the end of this week. Due to the jet stream running from the distant polar region, snowfall on the mountains and severe cold in the plains may increase. The temperature in north-west India is expected to drop by 2 degrees Celsius during the next three days.
Warning of dense fog and cold wave in 16 states
The Meteorological Department has issued an alert of dense fog and cold wave in 16 states. The most severe cold wave warning has been issued in Telangana and Interior Karnataka, where conditions may persist for the next 24 to 36 hours. Apart from this, alert of dense fog has been issued in Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, Eastern and Western Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha and North-Eastern states. In many areas of eastern Rajasthan, the temperature may go down by 4 to 5 degrees below normal.
How low is the temperature in which states?
According to the report of the Meteorological Department, the temperature remains below normal in many states-
Areas with 1.6 to 3 °C low temperatures: Karnataka, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Central Maharashtra, Goa, Kerala, Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura.
Areas with temperatures as low as 3 to 5 degrees Celsius: Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Odisha and some parts of Madhya Pradesh.
Cold will increase further in next 48 hours
The temperature in North India’s Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh remains much below normal. Due to sunlight during the day, the effect of cold is being felt less, but the cold remains intense during night and morning. The Meteorological Department has predicted that there will be a further drop in temperature in the next 24 to 48 hours, due to which the effect of cold may increase further.
The air of Delhi-NCR is suffocating.
The problem of pollution is continuously worsening in Delhi and now the situation seems to be becoming fatal. The air of the capital has become extremely poisonous and the air quality index has reached the maximum level in many areas, which is a matter of serious concern. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the 24-hour average air quality index was recorded at 500 at monitoring stations located in Wazirpur, Rohini and Ashok Vihar. This is the maximum level of AQI, above which readings are not officially recorded.
The real situation is even worse
AQI reaching 500 is an indication that the actual condition of the air may be worse than this. Especially in the hourly readings, the level of pollution is expected to be much higher, which is extremely dangerous for the health of the common people. Out of 39 active air quality monitoring stations in Delhi, 38 stations remain in ‘severe’ and ‘very severe’ category. This shows that almost the entire capital is in the grip of poisonous air.
AQI crosses 490 in many areas
At least 13 monitoring stations recorded AQI levels above 490 for several hours on Sunday. At many places it almost reached its maximum limit, due to which the situation has become even more worrying.
