New Delhi: With Uttarakhand witnessing a sharp dip in temperature since the last few days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a yellow alert for cold waves in the Himalayan state from December 18 to 21.


This comes as the lowest this winter season was recorded in Uttarakhand's Ranichauri at -2.7°C earlier on Friday.


Mukteshwar recorded 0.2°C, Mussoorie recorded 0.9°C, Pithoragarh 0.9°C and New Tehri 1.4°C earlier on Friday, as per the IMD


The IMD has predicted cold wave to severe cold wave conditions in Jammu and Kashmir, which experienced this season’s coldest night on Friday as the mercury plummeted several degrees below zero across the valley.


Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district recorded a low of minus 8.5 degrees Celsius, becoming the coldest place in the valley.


With several parts of north India witnessing cold spell with sharp dip in temperatures, the IMD has forecast frost conditions in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh besides the northern regions of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.


“Ground frost conditions in the morning hours in isolated pockets very likely over Punjab, Haryana & Chandigarh and north Rajasthan during next 3 days and north Madhya Pradesh during next 2 days,” the IMD tweeted.



“Dense fog in the morning hours in isolated pockets very likely over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during next 3 days and over Punjab, Assam & Meghalaya and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura during 19th & 20th and over Haryana on 19th December, 2021,” the IMD said in another tweet.



Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 6 degrees Celsius over the past 24 hours. According to the IMD, the minimum temperature is set to dip further to around 5 degrees Celsius over the next two days.


The cold wave conditions also gripped several parts of Odisha. At least nine regions of the state, including Daringbhadi and Keonjhar, recorded night temperatures below 11 degree Celsius in the last 24 hours.