COUTESY HT JAN 13

MeT predicts intense cold wave in Punjab, Haryana in next 4 days

Dense fog is likely to engulf the northern plains over the next few days. SANCHIT KHANNA/HT
New Delhi : A large part of the country is set to face intense cold conditions over the next few days with the weather department on Tuesday issuing an orange alert for the northern plains, which are also forecast to witness foggy conditions.

The India Meteorological Department said in a bulletin dense to very dense foggy conditions are very likely over isolated places in northwest India during the next 4-5 days.

With temperatures falling, an orange alert was issued by the IMD for the northern plains with a forecast of a cold wave for the next four days. A similar alert has been sounded for Tamil Nadu and Puducherry with a forecast of heavy rains.

“Due to the prevalence of dry north/northwesterly winds, the minimum temperature is very likely to be below normal over most parts of northwest India during next 4-5 days which are very likely to cause cold day/severe cold day conditions at some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand during next three days.“Cold wave/severe cold wave conditions at some parts are also very likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi during next three days,” the IMD said.

Himachal Pradesh’s Keylong, Kalpa and Bhuntar shivered at sub-zero temperature on Tuesday, the meteorological department said. Keylong, the administrative centre of Lahaul and Spiti, continued to be the coldest place in the state at minus 10 degrees Celsius, Shimla MeT centre director Manmohan Singh said.

Punjab and Haryana too reeled under intense cold weather conditions with Hisar being the coldest place in the region. Bihar, too, witnessed intense cold conditions