IMD warns of dense fog, cold days and rain in north India; Himachal Pradesh mountains get fresh snowfall

Parts of northern India will face ‘cold day conditions’ over the next few days as Tamil Nadu receives ‘heavy rainfall’. The India Meteorological Department has also forecast ‘dense to very dense’ fog in northern and western parts of the country. An orange alert has been issued for parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh on Monday.

“Dense to very dense fog and cold day conditions likely over Northwest India during next two to three days,” the weather department forecast in its latest bulletin.

According to updates shared by the IMD, dense to very dense fog conditions are expected to prevail over parts of Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh during the late night hours of December 30. Cold day to severe cold day conditions are also likely in isolated pockets of Rajasthan during this time.

“Recent Satellite imagery detected fog layer over South Jammu, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, north Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, west and south Uttar Pradesh, south Himachal Pradesh, south Uttarakhand, southwest Bihar, west Jharkhand, north Chhattisgarh and east Gujarat,” IMD wrote on X.

The IMD has also predicted rain or snowfall over the 'western Himalayan region' between January 1 and January 5 due to a western disturbance. The forecast came even as parts of northern India continued to shiver under an intense cold wave on Monday. The Dhauladhar mountains were blanketed in fresh snowfall over the weekend as the minimum temperature hovering between 0°C and 1°C on Sunday night.

“A couple of days ago, it rained heavily, and the cold has increased significantly. You can see the hills behind me are covered with snow. The cold is causing a lot of trouble, and people are unable to step out in the mornings and evenings. Everyone has to wear gloves, jackets, and multiple layers of clothing,” a resident told ANI.

(With inputs from agencies)