In the last week of December, winter conditions over the hilly states of North India are now expected to return to their normal pattern. This is after the pattern swayed from its usual course during the previous winter spell. Temperatures in Jammu & Kashmir are now dropping, and are comparatively lower than that of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, which was not the case earlier. However, no white Christmas is expected in the region but snow and rain showers can be expected in the first week of New Year.
Usually, the intensity of the winter chill is at its apex in Jammu & Kashmir followed by Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. However the last few days were somewhat unusual with areas in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand experiencing widespread snow earlier than expected. Popular tourist destinations like Shimla and Nainital received widespread snow before Srinagar which generally precedes the two in terms of snowfall. As of now, Srinagar has not received any significant snowfall this year. Only glaciers and places in higher reaches have received snowfall in Jammu & Kashmir.
A Western Disturbance (WD) is expected to bring down day temperatures and increase night temperatures. Thus, the minimums in all these states are expected to drop further. Extreme cold wave conditions will prevail over most parts of Jammu & Kashmir which is currently experiencing sub-zero temperatures.
The temperature in Himachal Pradesh had earlier dipped to subzero level but is now returning to normal. A similar recovery has been witnessed in Uttarakhand as well. The minimums for various places in the hilly states of North India are as follows:
