BREAKING: Cold Wave, Rain Keeps Delhi & North Indoors, But IMD Predicts That's Not All

New Delhi: The season's first snowfall in Srinagar and a cold wave across North India and Gangetic plains brought the temperatures down and forced people indoors largely. National Capital Delhi and adjoining areas saw rain, bringing the temperature down by almost 6°C from Thursday, but that's not enough, it seems. As per the Indian Met Department, the maximum temperature in Delhi was 15°C, while the minimum dropped to 11°C on Friday.

The IMD forecasts a drop of 8°C (from Friday) on 31st December when people would be planning New Year's Eve. The IMD predicts 6°C in Delhi on New Year's Eve, making it one of the coldest in years.

The Indian weather body has also issued an orange alert for Delhi while a cold wave warning in several parts of Himachal Pradesh remains in place between Dec 29-31. Minimum temperatures were below 0°C over many parts of Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh.

Delhi Orange Alert

Weather department officials said an active western disturbance and its interaction with easterly winds were causing light to moderate rainfall and thunderstorms over northwest and central India, including the NCR areas of Delhi. The observatory at Safdarjung, the national capital's primary weather station, recorded 1.8 mm rainfall between 2:30 am and 5:30 am, and 7.3 mm after that till 8:30 am.

The Palam weather station recorded 11.3 mm rainfall, followed by Lodhi Road at 6.8 mm, and Pusa at 5.5 mm. IMD has forecast cloudy skies with light to moderate rain during the day.

The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 11 degrees Celsius, 2.8 notches above normal. The air quality at 9 am was recorded in the 'very poor' category, with a reading of 372, according to Central Pollution Control Board data.

The 24-hour Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded at 345 at 4 pm on Thursday. AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.

Prediction for 31st is 6 degree in Delhi 

Delhi Rains Video

Heavy Snowfall in Srinagar

Jammu and Kashmir's capital city receives the season's first heavy snowfall, covering the whole valley in a thick layer of white snow.

Srinagar recorded a low of minus 7.3 degrees Celsius while Tabo in the Lahaul and Spiti district was the coldest place in Himachal Pradesh, recording a night temperature of minus 10.6 degrees Celsius. Cold weather conditions persisted in states like Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and parts of Uttar Pradesh.  

Snowfall in Srinagar

Minimum temperatures decreased at most places in Kashmir as the valley continued to reel under intense cold conditions, leading to the freezing of several water bodies and water supply lines in many areas.

The Met office has predicted a dip of two to three degrees in the minimum temperatures in Kashmir over the next two days.

Except in Gulmarg, the night temperatures plummeted across all other weather stations in the Kashmir valley.

Currently under the grip of 'Chillai-Kalan', the harshest winter period of 40 days that started on December 21, the Kashmir valley is experiencing below-normal maximum as well as minimum temperatures for this time of the season, the officials said.