While Punjab winters are famous for people to their core, this year the state is witnessing milder cold conditions as compared to previous years. Punjab is witnessing significant changes in its weather pattern, with recent conditions breaking a 50-year record. According to reports, Ludhiana recorded a minimum temperature of 11°C, which is 5°C above the normal average for this time of year.
This unusual temperature marks the highest recorded minimum temperature in January since 1973, indicating milder winter conditions compared to previous years. The maximum temperature is also hovering around 22°C, 2-3°C higher than usual.
This data has been shared by the Meteorological Department at Punjab Agricultural University (PAU), Ludhiana.
Dr. Pavneet Kaur, Head of PAU’s Meteorology Department, stated that light rainfall is expected in some parts of Punjab from January 21 to January 23. Additionally, foggy conditions are anticipated, prompting the department to issue a yellow alert for various districts across the state. While the rainfall is expected to be light and unlikely to harm crops, overcast skies, and scattered rain could lead to a drop in temperatures.
Dr. Kaur also emphasized that the current weather conditions pose no threat to crops like wheat and are not expected to impact agricultural productivity adversely.
As per IMD Chandigarh, Faridkot was the coldest region in Punjab with 7.5°C on January 20, 2025. Amritsar's minimum temperature was 8°C, Ludhiana was 13.4°C, Patiala was 11.1°C, Pathankot was 10°C, and Bathinda was 8.4°C.
Why do Punjab sometimes witness cooler winters than popular hill stations?
Manmohan Singh, director of Shimla's Meteorological Office was quoted by IANS in 2017 who actually gave an explanation over this. Singh termed Shimla and Dharamsala witnessing high night temperatures compared to the plains as 'normal'. "This is a normal phenomenon and occurs mainly due to settling of inversion layer on mountain tops," said Singh adding that generally, the air becomes cooler as elevation increases. The day temperature in most of the plains is abnormally high compared to Shimla.
The warm air lifted from the plains overlaid the existing cold air in the mountains. Since Shimla and Dharamsala were near the plains, the impact of the inversion layer impacted these hill cities.