North India including Punjab has been witnessing peak winters for at least a month now. As per the Apple Weather App, Jalandhar on Wednesday registered a minimum temperature of 5°C, Amritsar registered 4°C, Ludhiana registered 5°C, etc. On the other hand, Himachal Pradesh's winter capital Dharamshala on the same day registered a minimum temperature of 7°C as per Apple Weather. It means multiple cities of Punjab were much cooler as compared to the mountainous capital Dharamshala.
On January 9, Apple Weather App predicted that Jalandhar will witness a minimum temperature of 3°C, Amritsar will witness 2°C, while Shimla on the same date will witness 5°C. Keeping the Apple Weather aside, multiple cities of Punjab have indeed witnessed cooler winters as compared to Shimla, and Dharamshala. TOI reported on January 5 that 5 cities of Punjab and Haryana were cooler than Shimla.
Now, the question arises why do Punjab sometimes witness bitting cold as compared to popular hill stations despite being a plain area? Below is what we know so far-
Why is Punjab being a plain area witness biting cold?
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.
Notably, Adampur in Punjab often witnesses a sharp dip in temperature almost every winter. Sometimes, it becomes the coldest region of India when it comes to plains. Adampur is situated in the northern part of Punjab, close to the foothills of the Shivalik range.
This proximately to the hills plays a crucial role in its winter weather. During the colder months, cold air from the mountains descends into the region, causing the temperatures to plummet. The Shivalik Hills act as a barrier, trapping the cold air and preventing it from escaping, which results in lower temperatures, especially at night.
Additionally, Adampur’s location on a relatively flat and open plain makes it more susceptible to temperature variations. In the winter, the absence of natural barriers like mountains or forests allows the cold air to settle and intensify, further contributing to the chill.