CHANDIGARH, Dec 29 — Residents of Punjab and Haryana may need umbrellas and warm clothing as the new year approaches, with the IMD forecasting isolated light to moderate rainfall on January 1 and widespread dense fog affecting visibility.
Hisar recorded a chilly 2.1 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal, while Chandigarh’s minimum temperature dropped to 7.2 degrees Celsius. Other parts of Haryana, including Ambala, Karnal, and Rohtak, saw lows ranging from 5.5 to 8.6 degrees Celsius.
Punjab’s coldest spot was Ballowal Saunkhri in Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar district at 2.4 degrees Celsius. Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Patiala reported dense fog, reducing visibility to less than 50 metres, prompting the Ministry of Civil Aviation to issue warnings of potential flight delays at Northern airports.
The IMD also predicted scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall or snowfall across the Western Himalayan region from December 30 to January 2, with isolated rain and snow expected over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during the period.
