Delhi, Uttar Pradesh welcome New Year with biting cold, dense fog

New Delhi: With the onset of the New Year on Sunday, various states across India woke up to a chilly winter morning. The minimum temperature in the national capital dipped to 5.5 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season`s average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Dense fog engulfs parts of Uttar Pradesh`s Moradabad, lowering visibility in many areas. As per India Meteorological Department, Moradabad will witness a minimum temperature of 6 degrees Celsius and a maximum temperature of 16 degrees Celsius while very dense fog will persist today. Meanwhile, in Madhya Pradesh`s Ujjain, a thick blanket of fog also engulfed resulting in reduced visibility.

"Minimum temperatures are in the range of 2-6 degrees Celsius over many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, north Rajasthan, and west Uttar Pradesh," said the IMD on Sunday. The minimum temperature was recorded at 10.7 and 10.2 degrees Celsius on Friday and Saturday in the capital city of Delhi.

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"Very dense fog was observed in a few places over Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh; at isolated places over Bihar and dense fog in isolated pockets over West Madhya Pradesh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Odisha, Assam & Tripura today morning," said the IMD, adding that the cold wave was observed at isolated places over Punjab and Rajasthan.

Uttar Pradesh | Dense fog engulfs parts of Moradabad lowering visibility in many areas.

As per IMD, Moradabad will witness a minimum temperature of 6°C & a maximum temperature of 16°C while very dense fog will continue to persist today. pic.twitter.com/YK1MV9Bcyn

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) January 1, 2023

The IMD predicted that due to light winds and high moisture near the surface over the Indo-Gangetic plains, dense to very dense fog is very likely in some pockets in the night and morning hours over Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh during the next 2-3 days and in isolated pockets over Bihar during the next four days.

Madhya Pradesh | Cold wave, fog conditions continue to prevail in parts of Ujjain, resulting in reduced visibility. pic.twitter.com/qV4kHhYXbz — ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) January 1, 2023

The dense fog in isolated pockets over Himachal Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Sub Himalayan West Bengal, Assam, and Tripura will prevail during the next 2-3 days, it said.

"Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions in isolated pockets is very likely over the northern parts of Rajasthan during January 1-3 and cold wave conditions thereafter. Cold wave conditions in isolated pockets over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during January 1-4; over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi during January 1-5 and over West Uttar Pradesh on 2nd and 3rd January 2023," IMD said.

Dense fog is expected over Himachal and Uttarakhand during the next 3-4 days; West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura during the next two days. 

(With inputs from agencies)