After a few days of some respite, India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday warned second phase of intense cold wave in Delhi and National Capital Region (NCR) beginning Monday. The weather office predicted that this would go till Wednesday this week. The minimum temperature is expected to settle around 3 degrees Celsius. Dense to very dense fog is very likely in some parts during night and morning hours over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh during the next 5 days. Delhi saw an intense cold wave spell from 5 January to 9 January, the second longest in the month in a decade, according to the data. It has also recorded over 50 hours of dense fog this month so far, which is the highest since 2019. On Sunday too, the entire North Indian belt continued to reel under a cold wave, with several areas of Rajasthan recording temperatures below freezing point. Shishram Dhaka, the Zonal Director of research at Agricultural Research Station (ARS), FatehpurShekhawati said that -4.7 degree Celsius temperature was recorded at FatehpurShekhawati. “For the last two days, the temperature in areas like Sikar, Churu, and Jhunjhunu is going down to minus with a nerve-freezing cold,” he added. As per the data received from the Zonal Director, the temperature recorded on January 15 was -4.7 degrees followed by January 14 recording -3.5 degrees, and January 13 recording 7.5 degrees Celsius. “People’s life has been affected by the harsh winter. Snow has started accumulating in the fields. We are trying to avoid the cold, people are resorting to bonfires in the morning,” a local resident said. The locals further added that farmers have started worrying about the damage that will be caused to the mustard crop due to the freezing snow. While wheat and other crops are expected to get benefits. Meanwhile, Rajasthan’s hill station, Mount Abu was covered with snow sheet with temperatures dropping to the lowest breaking old records for winter.
The temperature was recorded here at -4 degrees Celsius. 4 to 5 inches ‘of thick snow was seen in the area. As per satellite imagery and available visibility data from the IMD, a layer of fog extended from Punjab and adjoining northwest Rajasthan to Bihar across Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.