Weather Report: Christmas Day ushers in a foggy morning in North India as mercury dips across the country

India experiences its coldest period of winter after 20 December, typically lasting until 15 January. During this time, the lowest day and night temperatures are recorded across the country. However, this season has been warmer than usual nationwide. While nights and early morning hours have cooled down moderately, daytime temperatures persistently remain higher than expected. On 23 December, minimum temperatures in Haryana were slightly below normal, but day temperatures were recorded above average:

• Balsamand (Hisar): 3.0°C
• Mahendragarh: 3.4°C
• Rewari: 3.5°C
• Fatehabad: 3.5°C
• Hisar: 3.8°C
• Damla (Yamunanagar): 4.7°C
• Ujha (Panipat): 4.8°C
• Karnal: 5.1°C
• Jhajjar: 5.8°C
• Sonipat: 5.9°C
• Ambala: 5.9°C
• Kurukshetra: 6.0°C
• Rohtak: 6.6°C
• Gurgaon: 7.4°C

Shimla, the state capital of Himachal Pradesh and a popular tourist destination during this season, has been losing its winter charm in recent years. Even during snowless periods, exceptionally warm temperatures have been recorded. On 21 December, Shimla recorded a minimum temperature of 11.4°C, while Mandi in the lower altitude hills recorded -1.8°C on the same day—nearly 10°C lower than the famous hill station, an extremely rare occurrence. Minimum temperatures across Himachal Pradesh on 21 December:

• Mandi: -1.8°C
• Bhuntar: -0.7°C
• Sundernagar: -0.1°C
• Nauni (Solan): 0.7°C
• Una: 1.8°C
• Berthin: 3.4°C
• Nahan: 7.2°C
• Shimla: 11.4°C

Regardless of the cold in the north, winters are gradually taking hold in parts of central and western India. Nights have begun to turn cooler, with Pune experiencing minimum temperatures around 12°C and Mumbai dipping below 20°C. Rural and outskirts areas have seen even lower temperatures, with Pune witnessing drops to 10°C and suburbs of Mumbai metropolitan area experiencing temperatures around 15-16°C. This weekend, Deccan experienced the onset of winter, with Nilgiris in Tamil Nadu recording a minimum temperature below 4°C on Sunday. The presence of frost on the ground indicated a significant drop in temperatures. [caption id=“attachment_13542422” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Temperature anomaly in the month of December 2023 so far on a pan India level[/caption] Over the past week, India has experienced notably dry conditions. The northern regions have not encountered any significant western disturbances, which typically bring snow to the hills and rainfall to the plains. Additionally, the northeast monsoon has remained weak in the south, resulting in subdued rainfall in Kerala and Tamil Nadu over the past couple of days. The cumulative pan-India rainfall from 1 October to 24 December is 110.5mm, slightly below the normal of 117.3mm. The departure from the normal currently stands at -6%, with no significant change in rainfall on a week-to-week basis. The average rainfall is at its lowest in the final two weeks of the year. Subdivision-wise seasonal rainfall statistics until 24 December, 2023, are as follows: • Southern Peninsula: Actual rainfall is 237.3mm compared to the average of 270.3mm, resulting in a -12% departure from normal. • East & North East India: Actual rainfall is 175.0mm against the average of 154.9mm, indicating a +13% departure from normal. • North West India: Actual rainfall is 52.0mm, surpassing the average of 46.1mm, with a +13% departure from normal. • Central India: Actual rainfall is 59.3mm, falling short of the average of 75.1mm, leading to a -21% departure from normal. [caption id=“attachment_13542452” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Subdivision wise Seasonal rainfall in India till 24 December, 2023[/caption] All India weather forecast until 31 December, 2023: Dry weather conditions are anticipated across India during Christmas and from the 25 to 28 December, most regions in the country are expected to remain free from rain. However, dense fog enveloped parts of Delhi NCR, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan and west Uttar Pradesh on the morning of Christmas. This fog is likely to persist throughout the week, extending from late night till morning hours. In some areas, fog may also extend into the afternoon, causing a decline in maximum temperatures by 3 to 4°C. After a prolonged wait, the biting cold is expected to tighten its grip on North India in the final week of December. Reported visibility at 5:30 AM on Monday is as follows:

• Punjab: Amritsar & Patiala - 0m each
• Chandigarh - 500m
• Delhi (Palam) - 0m, Delhi (Safdarjung) - 200m
• West Rajasthan: Ganganagar - 0m, Bikaner - 200m, Churu & Jaisalmer - 500m each
• East Rajasthan: Ajmer - 200m
• West Uttar Pradesh: Jhansi - 500m
• East Uttar Pradesh: Varanasi - 200m, Lucknow - 500m
• West Madhya Pradesh: Gwalior - 0m
• East Madhya Pradesh: Satna - 500m
• Bihar: Patna & Purnea - 500m each
• Odisha: Jharsuguda & Puri - 500m
• Vidarbha: Nagpur - 500m.

[caption id=“attachment_13542462” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Season’s first dense fog conditions observed over north west India the morning of Christmas[/caption] Night temperatures are expected to decrease by 1-2°C from current levels in Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Gujarat, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. Due to the influence of strong northeasterly winds, a fresh spell of light to moderate rainfall is anticipated over coastal Tamil Nadu from 30 December, 2023, to 1 January, 2024. Additionally, a fresh Western Disturbance will impact Northwest India starting from 29 December. This disturbance, interacting with lower-level easterly winds, is likely to result in a wet spell over Northwest adjoining Central India from 30 December, 2023 to 2 January, 2024. Furthermore, light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning is expected at isolated places over Tamil Nadu, Pondicherry, and Karaikal on 27 and 28 December, 2023. The writer, better known as the Rohtak Weatherman, interprets and explains complex weather patterns. His impact-based forecasts @navdeepdahiya55 are very popular in north India. Views expressed in the above piece are personal and solely those of the author. They do not necessarily reflect Firstpost_’s views._   Read all the  Latest News,  Trending News,  Cricket News,  Bollywood News, India News and  Entertainment News here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.