The recent Western Disturbance, which was the strongest of the season, has resulted in fairly widespread heavy to very heavy snowfall over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and parts of Uttarakhand.
Owing to heavy snow, the maximum temperatures dropped by up to 10 to 12 degrees between December 11 and 13. However, minimums remained marginally above normal during that time. Now, as the Western Disturbance has moved in an eastward direction leading to clear sky conditions over the hills of North India, a significant drop in temperatures has been observed.
Many areas in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh have recorded below normal minimums during the last 24 hours. Isolated places including Gulmarg in Jammu and Kashmir recorded minimums 6 degrees below normal. Manali in Himachal Pradesh also observed temperatures 4 degrees below normal.
Therefore, cold wave conditions have already set in at isolated places. With the passage of time, in another two to three days, more areas in the hills of North India are likely to observe similar weather conditions. Many areas in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand may record temperatures below freezing levels.
Image Credit: deccanchronicle.com
