With the winters peaking in India, the India Meteorological Department on Friday put Punjab on orange alert. The IMD issued an orange alert warning and predicted that Punjab will witness a severe cold wave in the upcoming days. Although Punjab winters are known for bone-chilling cold, a region of the state witnessed a chilling cold of -0.4°C on Friday. Hence, it can said that Punjab witnessed 'Freezing Friday' on December 3.
As per the IMD's official release issued on December 13, 2024; the lowest minimum temperature of -0.4°C was reported at Adampur IAF (Punjab). Adampur is not far from Jalandhar. Notably, Apple Weather App had predicted that Jalandhar's minimum temperature can touch 1°C on Wednesday i.e. December 18, 2024.
Notably, IMD's warning reads, "Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions very likely in some parts of Punjab on 13th & 14th and over isolated pockets on 15th December."
Why is Punjab witnessing chilling winters?
The answer is a Western disturbance. The impact of western disturbance is being seen in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, which are adjacent to Punjab. Snowfall continues in the mountains due to the western disturbance. Due to snowfall in the mountains, the temperature in Punjab is continuously falling. At the same time, there is no rain for a week. Due to this, the weather is dry.
The month of December is also dry for Punjab. As per reports, Punjab has recorded 84 percent and Chandigarh 91 percent less rainfall. Apart from Jalandhar, SBS Nagar, Roopnagar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Patiala, and Sangrur, no city has received rain. At the same time, in the first 11 days of December, it usually rains 5.1 degrees in Chandigarh, but so far 0.4 mm of rain has been reported, which is 91 percent less than normal.
Minimum temperature recorded in different cities of Punjab on December 14
As per the list shared by IMD Chandigarh, Faridkot was the coldest region of Punjab. It witnessed a minimum temperature of 1°C. Below is a list of cities and the lowest temperature they registered-
- Amritsar- 3.4°C
- Ludhiana-7.8°C
- Patiala- 6°C
- Pathankot- 2.3°C
- Bathinda- 3.4°C
- Faridkot- 1°C