Days After Delhi Recorded The Longest Cold Day Since 1997 Mercury To Dip Further To 4 Degrees On Weekend

An intense cold wave has gripped most of northern India including the national capital New Delhi. With the minimum temperatures dropping to less than six degrees Celsius this December is turning out to be the coldest in recent years.

On Wednesday the national capital witnessed a foggy morning with the mercury at 5.4 degree Celsius, three notches below the season's average. The city so far has recorded longest and the extremely cold day spell in December month, since 1997.

"Delhi so far has recorded longest and extremely cold day spell in December month, since 1997," the India Meteorological Department said. It also said that while Delhi had witnessed 17 cold days in December 1997, this time it has recorded 10 cold days in a row. Before this, in December 2014, Delhi saw severe cold continuing for eight consecutive days, the IMD added.

According to the Meteorological Department, northern India is expected to experience cold wave conditions over the next 3-4 days and the minimum temperature could dip to 4 degrees Celsius on the weekend. Over the past few days, the cold wave and fog have also affected the operations at the Delhi airport where several flights have been delayed. Across north India, several trains have been running late by hours due to the adverse weather conditions.

It is not just Delhi that is feeling the cold bite parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, and north Rajasthan are also experiencing severe cold accompanied by fogg. The weather office said thundershowers are expected at some places in the plains and low hills of Himachal Pradesh.

Authorities in Haryana have ordered the closure of all schools in the state due to the intense cold wave in the state where the day temperatures have been hovering between 11 and 15 degrees Celsius, which is six to nine notches below the normal.

In Kashmir too there is an intense cold wave and Srinagar recorded the coldest night of the season so far at minus 4.3 degrees Celsius. The ski-resort of Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 9.0 degrees. Leh town in the Union Territory of Ladakh recorded a low of minus 17.8 degrees Celsius.

The drop in temperatures across northern India coincides with the commencement of the Chilai-Kalan¡ªthe 40-day harshest winter period in Kashmir¡ªwhich began last Saturday, on December 21. During these 40 days, the maximum temperatures drop considerably, while the chances of snowfall shoot up.