Cold Wave Strikes North India! IMD Issues ‘Orange Alert’, Schools in Delhi-NCR Shut

Weather News: For the sixth day in a row, severe cold wave conditions persisted in northern India on Monday (January 9). Communication has been hampered by record-low temperatures and poor visibility, which has forced schools to extend breaks.

The fog layer has moved through Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh, passing through the states of Bihar, Chandigarh, and northwest Rajasthan, according to satellite images and visibility data.

IMD issues Orange Alert

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an "orange" alert for areas of northern India on Monday, including Delhi, warning that persistent conditions of dense fog, chilly days, and cold waves would prevail.

Short-term relief is expected to come after a few days under the impact of back-to-back western disturbances, according to a senior IMD meteorologist.

The direction of the wind changes as a Western disturbance, a meteorological system characterized by warm, moist air from the Middle East, approaches a location. He said that as a result, the chilly north-westerly winds from the mountains will stop blowing for a few days, causing temperatures to rise.

"After 48 hours, the cold wave and cold days across northwest India are expected to decrease. Within the next 48 hours, it's possible that many areas of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar will experience dense to extremely dense fog, which will then subside and spread less widely," the IMD said in a statement.

Delhi Schools to remain Shut

All private schools in Delhi have been instructed by the Delhi government to close until January 15. The warning was issued by the Directorate of Education on a day when Delhi experienced its coldest temperature ever, 1.9 degrees Celsius. Until January 15, Delhi's government schools will also be closed.

In response to the cold wave that is currently affecting Delhi, all private schools in the city are recommended to remain closed until January 15, 2023, according to a DOE (Directorate of Education) earlier circular.