Punjab: The beginning of the new year will be cold and rainy, predicted

Punjab: The weather department has predicted a cold and wet start to the new year 2025. Rain and snowfall along with dense fog is likely over parts of northwest India in the next few days. This is an extension of the existing rainfall, which has turned the rainfall deficit into heavy rain in the region. “Cold wave conditions are likely to set in over parts of northwest India from December 30,” said the bulletin issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday. Dense to very dense fog is likely over the region over the next 2-3 days, the bulletin said. There is a western disturbance in the mid-tropospheric westerly winds, which is largely over west Pakistan and adjoining Iran. “This is likely to cause light to scattered rain and snowfall over western Himalayan region from January 1 to 4,” the IMD said. The IMD further said that a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from January 6. Western disturbances are tropical storms originating in the Mediterranean Sea region, which bring sudden winter rains to northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent.

In the last 24 hours, most places in Punjab received light to moderate rainfall, while some areas witnessed thunderstorms, hailstorms and dense fog. With 51.7 mm rainfall during this period, SBS Nagar remained the rainiest district in the state, followed by Hoshiarpur (40.5 mm) and Gurdaspur (35.7 mm). Winter rainfall, which was 96 per cent deficient in Punjab till a few days ago, is now 149 per cent surplus due to widespread rains in many parts of the state in the last few days. According to IMD data, from December 1 to 29, Punjab received 24.7 mm rainfall compared to the long period average of 9.9 mm for that period. The post-monsoon seasonal rainfall since October 1 has also been 17 per cent surplus. IMD data showed that the minimum temperature in Punjab in the last 24 hours ranged from 5.8 degrees Celsius in Bathinda to 13.4 degrees Celsius in Mohali, which was up to 6.9 degrees Celsius above normal at some places. Weathermen have predicted a drop of 3-4 degrees Celsius in minimum temperatures in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi in the next three days and no significant change in the next few days thereafter. Dense fog and cold wave conditions have also been predicted at some places till January 3.