North India shivers; intense cold wave to grip Odisha in next two days

Bhubaneswar: Entire north India is reeling under intense cold wave with the mercury dipped to a minimum of 4.2 degree Celsius on Friday night in New Delhi, the coldest winter since 1901.

The cold wave situation in northern parts of the country will further intensify in next two days, the India Meteorological Department IMD said.

Under its influence, the cold wave conditions may turn into severe in Odisha and others states in eastern India.

According to IMD, the cold wave will intensify in some pockets over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, north Rajasthan and Bihar and in isolated pockets over Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal and Sikkim during the next 2 days.

It may grip north Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh during the next 3 days and north Madhya Pradesh, Bihar Jharkhand, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim along with Odisha during the next 2 days and northeastern India during next 4-5 days.

Yesterday, the severe cold day conditions were observed in most pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, and in isolated pockets over north Rajasthan, cold to severe cold day conditions in many pockets over Madhya Pradesh, in isolated pockets over West Bengal and cold day conditions in some pockets over Jharkhand and north Chhattisgarh.

As Delhi shivered under intense cold, the IMD said that the city’s mean maximum temperature in December has dipped below 20 degrees Celsius only four times in past 118 years – in 1919, 1929, and 1961 with the last in 1997.