India Meteorological Department has forecast cold wave conditions over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, West Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Maharashtra, North Interior Karnataka, and Telangana for the next two days.
Dense fog conditions will prevail over Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, East Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Manipur during morning hours today. Fog conditions are expected over Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram and Tripura.
Meanwhile, the air quality in Delhi-NCR has been registered in the Poor category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board, the average Air Quality Index (AQI) of the region was recorded at 269 as of 7 AM today.
A sharp drop in minimum temperatures is the biggest concern across central and northern parts of the country. IMD forecasts indicate a gradual fall of around 2 degrees Celsius over the plains of Northwest India over the next two days, followed by a subsequent rise later in the week.
Maharashtra is also expected to see temperatures decline by 2–3 degrees Celsius over the next three days, signalling the intensification of winter across the state.