Punjab witnessed a winter unlike any it has seen before in the last 50 years due to the ongoing cold wave. The temperatures have been consistently below the normal over the past few days. Jalandhar recorded a chilling temperature of 2°C on Tuesday morning. This, shockingly, is lower than the temperatures experienced in the hilly areas of Nainital and Mussoorie, where the minimum temperature was recorded to be 3°C. Even more worrying is that Indian Meteorological Department, forecasts that the cold is not set to relent for the next 10 days. The dry winter will continue to wreak havoc as no rain has been predicted either.
This winter is the coldest temperatures that Punjab has faced in over 50 years. According to the weather department, the minimum temperatures over the next 10 days will stay in the 3-5°C range. Chance of rain is also likely to be very low. Jalandhar experienced brief sunlight on Sunday, providing some relief from the relentless cold but official weather channels predict that the cold wave will continue affecting the state. One cause of this relentless cold is the sunlight not being able to reach the earth due to the dense fog. Hence the Earth’s surface is not heating up.
For the next 10 days the temperatures are expected to stay within the 2-5°C range. The relentless cold will also be accompanied by dense fog, causing the department to issue an orange alert for the next few days. Even public transport is being affected by the fog with several trains and flights being delayed. The government also extended the holidays for school children under Class 5 until January 24.