Cold wave: There may be no relief from the ongoing spell of cold wave with minimum temperatures hovering below normal limits at most places, reports suggested. If a weather expert is believed, it has been predicted that temperatures in the plains are going to dip as far as -4 degrees Celsius next week.
Large parts of north India are still reeling under numbing cold with the mercury remaining below freezing point at most places in Jammu and Kashmir, while dense fog in the early hours of the morning hit road and rail traffic movement. Cold wave conditions abated in Delhi due to a fresh western disturbance affecting northwest India, even as a dense layer of fog lowered visibility to just 50 metres.
Severe chills between January 14 and 19 and from January 16 to 18 are likely to be at their peak, tweeted Navdeep Dahiya, the founder of Live Weather of India, an online weather platform.
Not just this, Dahiya is also of the view that January 2023 will go down in the history, maybe for 21st century, as the coldest year.
According to the meteorological office, moderate snowfall is very likely at many places in the higher reaches during this week. The plains in the Valley are expected to receive light to moderate snow. Light snowfall, with rains in the plains of Jammu, is likely at many places in Jammu and Kashmir, the weather office said.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of 'Chillai Kalan', the 40-day harshest winter period when the chances of snowfall are the maximum.
'Chillai Kalan' begins on December 21 and ends on January 30. The cold wave continues even after that with a 20-day 'Chillai Khurd' (small cold) and a 10-day 'Chillai Bachha' (baby cold) following it.
