Weather Today: On the first day of the New Year, a spectral blanket of fog envelops vast regions across India, according to the satellite images taken by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday at around 6:15 am. Enveloping Punjab, North Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, northwest Madhya Pradesh, south Uttarakhand, and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, the thick layer of fog accompanies the cold wave in these parts.

According to the IMD, the dense fog, with a visibility lesser than 200 meters, is set to reduce the visibility in many parts of Punjab; at a few parts over Haryana-Chandigarh; at isolated pockets over Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, north Rajasthan, north Madhya Pradesh. Dense fog occurred over isolated parts of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, interior Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and southeast Uttarakhand for a few hours in the morning.

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Some parts of north-western India also recorded zero visibility due to the severe fog conditions as per the IMD data. Places such as Jorhat in Assam, Pathankot and Bhatinda in Punjab, Jammu in Jammu & Kashmir recorded almost nil visibility in the morning.

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Minimum temperatures across the north-western India

Minimum temperatures across Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, north Uttar Pradesh, and north Rajasthan range from 6-9°C, while in Delhi, south Rajasthan, and north Madhya Pradesh, they are between 10-12°C. These temperatures are 2-4°C above normal in many parts of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, northwest Rajasthan, West Uttar Pradesh, West Madhya Pradesh, and Gujarat.

The IMD further predicted a drop in temperatures during the initial week of January 2024, with the mercury expected to range between 7 and 10 degrees.