IMD Predicts Severe Cold in Punjab & UP in Next 24 hrs; Delhi Will Witness Rain

Several northwest and central Indian states, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh, will encounter cold to severe cold wave conditions in the next 24 hours, according to the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) latest bulletin.

However, the situation would progressively improve beginning January 30.

The Met department also predicted no change in minimum temperatures in the northwest and central areas of India during the next 24 hours, with temperatures rising by four to six degrees Celsius thereafter. Starting Sunday (January 30), the maximum temperature across these areas is expected to increase by three to five degrees Celsius until February 2, but will then fall.

Meanwhile, between February 2 and 4, light to widespread rainfall is expected in Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi.

The latest IMD weather alert comes as the lowest temperature across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, and central Maharashtra deviated from normal by 1.6 to 3 degrees Celsius on Friday. According to IMD statistics, the lowest temperature at Delhi's Safdarjung observatory (the national capital's official weather recorder) was 6.4 degrees Celsius on Friday, while the highest temperature reached 20.6 degrees celsius.

The following are the important IMD alerts for the cold wave and rainfall till 5^th February :

• On January 29, isolated cold wave conditions in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, west Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are very likely. However, the situation would progressively improve after that.

• The Met department has projected cold to severe cold day conditions for the next 24 hours for Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha (in Maharashtra), and Chhattisgarh.

• Beginning January 30, circumstances in these states will gradually improve. Meanwhile, similar weather conditions are expected in Odisha on January 29 and 30.

• During the next 48 hours, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Uttarakhand and east Uttar Pradesh will experience intense fog, which will progressively dissipate.

• On January 31 and February 1, isolated to scattered, light to moderate rainfall is expected across Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, and Mizoram. During the next 24 hours, these northeastern states are also likely to see isolated thunderstorms or lightning.

• The IMD has projected isolated light rain in Tamil Nadu and Kerala for the next four days till February 1, while the same weather alert has been issued for coastal Andhra Pradesh for the next 48 hours (two days).

• According to the IMD bulletin, due to the effect of a western disturbance and its "induced cyclonic circulation," moderately widespread to widespread, light to moderate rainfall or snowfall is very likely over the western Himalayan area between February 2 and 4. On February 3, isolated heavy rain or snowfall is also extremely probable over Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

• The Met department predicts surface winds of 15-25kmph over Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi between January 29 and February 1. Between February 2 and 4, these states and union territories (UTs) can expect scattered to moderately widespread light to moderate rainfall.

• On February 3 and 4, a convergence of westerlies and easterlies will produce scattered to fairly widespread, light to moderate rainfall, as well as isolated hailstorms over Bihar, Jharkhand, Sikkim, and West Bengal. On February 4 and 5, the IMD predicts the same weather for Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, and Mizoram.