The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a forecast indicating that the northern regions of India are likely to experience dense to very dense fog conditions for the next two days, with a subsequent decrease in intensity thereafter. This advisory, issued on Saturday, emphasizes the need for individuals to take necessary precautions against the challenging combination of dense fog and severe cold spells during travel.
According to the IMD's forecast, dense to very dense fog conditions are anticipated to persist over North India for the next five days. Additionally, cold-day to severe cold-day conditions are expected to prevail over the same region for the next three days.
In the specific case of Delhi, the minimum temperature recorded on Saturday morning was 6 degrees Celsius. Projections indicate that this temperature is likely to remain below 10 degrees Celsius for the upcoming days.
The IMD defines a severe cold day when the maximum temperature of a station is 16 degrees Celsius or below and 6.4 degrees or more below normal. In light of this, cold wave conditions are anticipated in Bihar and northern Madhya Pradesh on Saturday, potentially spreading to other parts of northern India on January 21 and 22.
A cold wave is formally recognized in the plains when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or is 4.5 degrees lower than the season's normal for two consecutive days.
The northern regions of India have been grappling with severe cold wave conditions, compounded by dense fog affecting visibility and disrupting rail and air traffic in the national capital.
