Cold Wave: Flights And Trains Affected In Delhi As Srinagar Nears Freezing Point. Schools Shut In Jharkhand, Patna

Cold Wave News: Fog affected flights and trains in Delhi while Jammu and Kashmir sees snowfall and Srinagar nears freezing temperatures. Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Bihar face cold wave conditions.

Cold Wave News: A flight makes a landing at the Jayprakash Narayan International Airport amid dense fog, in Patna, Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025.

Source : PTI

Cold Wave News: As parts of India tackle a cold wave, dense fog in Delhi-NCR disrupted transportation, with several flights affected and 51 trains delayed. Jammu and Kashmir experienced snowfall, with Srinagar’s temperature near freezing point. Cold wave conditions also persist in Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Bihar, prompting school closures amid low temperatures.

Delhi's Zero Visibility Hours Reduce, Flights & Trains Affected

On Sunday morning, dense fog enveloped the national capital, causing travel disruptions. Fifty-one trains were delayed, and several flights were re-scheduled. The fog reduced visibility to zero, with zero visibility prevailing over Palam from 4 AM to 7:30 AM IST. An IMD official reported easterly winds at 8-13 kmph during this period, as per news agency PTI. Compared to Saturday’s 9-hour zero visibility spell, Palam experienced a relatively shorter duration of 3.5 hours of zero visibility on Sunday.

The maximum temperature in the city settled at 18.6 degrees Celsius, 0.7 degrees below the normal average. The minimum temperature was recorded at 9.4 degrees Celsius. The relative humidity during the day ranged between 83 and 95 percent.

For Monday, the weather department predicts a generally cloudy sky with a possibility of very light to light rain, accompanied by thunderstorms in the morning. The predominant surface wind is expected to blow from the southeast at a speed of less than 4 kmph during the morning hours. Smog and moderate fog are likely in most places, with dense fog expected in a few areas during the morning.

The wind speed is forecast to gradually increase to 6-8 kmph from the southeast in the afternoon before decreasing to less than 6 kmph from the northwest during the evening and night. Smog or shallow fog is expected in the evening and night. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle around 18 and 11 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Mercury In Jammu-Kashmir's Srinagar Close To Freezing Point

Most parts of Kashmir, including Srinagar, experienced a fresh snowfall on Sunday. The mercury remained close to freezing in Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital for the second consecutive day. Snowfall was witnessed in various areas of Bandipora, Baramulla, and Kupwara districts in northern Kashmir, as well as some parts of Budgam and Ganderbal districts in central Kashmir.

In the morning, officials reported snowfall in the morning. The night temperature in the Valley plummeted sharply. Kokernag in southern Kashmir recorded the lowest temperature in the region, freezing at minus 8.1 degrees Celsius. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 2.5 degrees Celsius, while Gulmarg recorded minus 4 degrees Celsius and Pahalgam shivered at minus 3.2 degrees Celsius.

Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 3.6 degrees Celsius. Konibal in Pampore recorded a low of minus 3.5 degrees. Kupwara in northern Kashmir experienced a night temperature of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius.

Kashmir is currently experiencing the harshest period of winter, known as ‘Chillai-Kalan,’ which commenced on December 21. During this 40-day period, the chances of snowfall are highest, and temperatures drop significantly. ‘Chillai-Kalan’ concludes on January 30, followed by a 20-day ‘Chillai-Khurd (small cold)’ and a 10-day ‘Chillai-Bachha (baby cold).’

Cold Wave, Fog Persist Across Punjab, Haryana

Cold weather conditions gripped several parts of Haryana and Punjab. Narnaul in Haryana recorded the lowest temperature at 6.8°C, followed by Karnal (8°C), Ambala (8.3°C), Hisar (8.8°C), Bhiwani (8.9°C), Gurugram (9.3°C), and Rohtak (10.3°C). In Punjab, Bathinda recorded a low of 7.4°C, Amritsar 7.9°C, and Gurdaspur 8°C. Chandigarh, the shared capital of Haryana and Punjab, recorded 8.4°C, enjoying a sunny day after prolonged fog and cloudy weather.

Schools Shut In Jharkhand, Patna Amid Cold Wave 

Jharkhand announced the closure of all schools for students from kindergarten to Class 8 from 7 to 13 January due to the prevailing cold wave. Dry weather persisted across the state, with Khunti recording the lowest temperature at 5.3°C.

In Bihar, the cold wave forced the Patna district administration to shut all government and private schools, including pre-schools and Anganwadi centres, till 11 January. The lowest temperature in the state was recorded in Motihari at 6.7°C, followed by Saran (6.9°C), Dehri (7°C), Samastipur (9.2°C), Vaishali (9.8°C), and Patna (10°C). Other districts, including Saharsa, Banka, Valmikinagar, Darbhanga, and Kishanganj, recorded minimum temperatures ranging from 10.1°C to 10.5°C.

The IMD has forecast dense to very dense fog in Bihar over the next two to three days.