Many chilly warnings that never seem to stop have left people in North India shivering severely in their coats and mufflers and hoping for some small improvement. But these prayers will go completely unfulfilled as fresh cold-favoring weather systems emerge, prolonging this harsh period across the region. The plains of North India are being swept by powerful jet stream winds, as reported by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Over the following two to three days, the impact of these mega-streams will keep North India's cold weather going. Thankfully, though, there aren't any more noteworthy shifts in overnight temperatures predicted for the area this week.
A cold day has been predicted for Monday, January 22, across certain areas of Chandigarh and Delhi, and for Wednesday and Thursday, January 24–25, over Punjab and Haryana, due to the effect of the jet streams. Moreover, North Rajasthan is expected to see a chilly to severe cold day today, followed by Punjab and Haryana until tomorrow (January 22–23) and Uttar Pradesh until Thursday (January 22–25). Additionally, the IMD has predicted that cold wave conditions would persist in certain areas of North Rajasthan on Monday and Tuesday, January 22–23, as well as in Chandigarh, Punjab, and Haryana through Thursday, January 22–25. There's a chance of ground frost in several areas of Uttarakhand today.
When the maximum temperature falls between 4.5°C and 6.4°C below the average and the lowest temperature falls below 10°C, the IMD issues a cold day warning. When this dips below 6.4°C, a severe cold day warning is issued. Similar to this, if the minimum temperature in a plains drops below 4°C, a cold wave warning is issued; if it drops below 2°C, a severe cold wave is declared. In many of these northern states, zero-visibility fog has continued to cause air traffic disruptions, and this trend may continue this week as well. IMD predicts that in certain areas of Rajasthan through Wednesday, January 22–24, and in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh through Friday morning, January 22–26, dense to very dense fog would impede vision in the morning or at night. In certain areas of Delhi, dense fog can also be an issue today and on Thursday morning.
An orange alert (meaning "be prepared") will be in effect from Tuesday to Friday in place of the cold and fog. Today, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh are under a red warning (meaning "take action"). Driving carefully and using fog lights can help prevent accidents when it's foggy outside. People should make sure that there are no delays or cancellations on buses, trains, or airplanes.
