UPDATE: India Meteorological Department on Friday put Punjab on orange alert. IMD's official release confirmed that on Friday the lowest minimum temperature of -0.4°C was reported at Adampur IAF (Punjab).
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For the past weeks, northern India including Punjab and Chandigarh have been witnessing chilling winters. Almost every year, winter peaks in Punjab and other parts of North India in December and January. According to the Meteorological Centre, the temperature will continue to fall in Punjab-Chandigarh till December 15. On the previous day, Punjab recorded a drop of 0.3 degrees and Chandigarh recorded 0.4 degrees. While 7 cities in Punjab had a temperature of less than 5 degrees. The temperature in Pathankot was 2°C.
Furthermore, IMD has issued a yellow alert in multiple cities of Punjab including Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Faridkot, Muktsar, Bathinda, Mansa, Sangrur, Runagar and SAS Nagar. The temperature is expected to drop by 2 to 8 degrees.
With the minimum temperature touching to 2°C, the question arises whether Punjab will witness 0°C in the state or not.
Will Punjab temperature touch 0°C?
As of now, none of the weather apps or IMD have predicted 0°C in Punjab. However, as per the Apple Weather App, Jalandhar's minimum temperature can touch 1°C next Wednesday i.e. December 18, 2024. Apple's weather app also predicts that Amritsar's minimum temperature will touch 1°C for three consecutive days i.e. from December 16 to December 18. Pathankot will also witness 1°C on December 18.
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.