Delhi: Cold wave to abate till Sunday, return thereafter

Delhi and the rest of northwest India are set to get some respite from the biting cold wave, exacerbated by low daytime temperatures, from Wednesday till Sunday, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Though cold wave conditions persisted, the mercury rose slightly for Delhi's Safdarjung observatory to record a minimum temperature of 8.4 degrees Celsius and Palam 7.8 degrees Celsius.

• The Indo-Gangetic plains are gripped by a cold wave, especially in northwest India.
• Delhi saw a minimum temperature of 3 degrees Celsius on Christmas as temperatures dipped considerably in Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, and north Rajasthan.
• Dense to very dense fog blocked out the sun, resulting in low daytime temperatures in the region, meteorologically termed a cold day.

A blanket of fog engulfed a large area of the northwest region, bringing down daytime temperatures by 11 degrees Celsius than usual and disrupting road and rail traffic. The spell of dense fog over Haryana, Punjab, and West Uttar Pradesh started on December 19 while the cold day conditions began on December 23, and "very severe cold day" conditions on Sunday and Monday.

The western disturbance is approaching the Western Himalayan region, which is expected to bring some relief from the cold day and cold wave conditions, according to the IMD. However, after the passing of the Western Disturbance—which could bring light to moderate snowfall in Himachal Pradesh, and Jammu and Kashmir mostly around Thursday—the mercury will plunge again and could trigger another cold wave spell.

Cold northwesterly winds swept through the plains after the western disturbance triggered a fresh spell of snowfall in the mountains, raising humidity levels, and resulting in dense fog. The Western Disturbance coming in from over the middle east carrying warmer and moisture-heavy winds may trigger snowfall in the Himalayan region. However, once it passes, northwesterly winds will bring cold air from the mountains.