No break from the bitter cold in Delhi & neighbouring states until Tuesday; rain expected in South

As the cold wave continues to affect these areas, Delhi and numerous locations in north, northwestern, and central India awoke to a foggy Christmas morning. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the national capital's minimum temperature at Safdarjung observatory, the city's official meteorological station, was 5.3 degrees Celsius, three notches below average. At two meteorological stations, the minimum temperature fell to 3 degrees Celsius, which is the lowest reading this winter. The mercury was measured at 3 degrees Celsius in Ridge and at 3.5 degrees Celsius in Ayanagar.

Temperatures have dipped considerably in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan and Delhi, among other regions, over the past week with the onset of cold wave. This has been coupled with dense fog that has reduced visibility levels significantly, even resulting to road accidents. Trains bound for north India have also been consistently getting either cancelled or delayed every day due to the weather.

According to the IMD's latest bulletin, visibility level was recorded at 50 metres in Punjab's Bhatinda at 5.30am, at 50 metres in Chandigarh and Rajasthan's Churu, and at 500 metres at Delhi's Safdarjung Airport.

Despite the biting cold, the Met department has predicted no snowfall in Christmas in Himachal Pradesh, upsetting many tourists who have flocked the northern hill state's capital Shimla for the Christmas and New Year's holidays. Snowfall, however, has been predicted in the higher reaches of the state in Chamba, Kullu, Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur districts owing to a fresh western disturbance expected on Monday.

Cold wave and fog warning

Dense fog is expected to continue in several pockets of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh in the early morning hours for the next four days, the IMD's latest bulletin said. A similar warning has been issued in many parts of Uttar Pradesh and north Rajasthan in the intervening night of December 25 and December 26 before the fog's intensity deceases thereafter.

Cold to severe cold days will prevail in north Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi till December 27, the bulletin added.

Rainfall alert

As the northern and central states battle extreme cold temperatures, the IMD has predicted rain with thunderstorms and lightning in many southern states till December 27.

Due to a depression over southwest Bay of Bengal, the weather department has forecast heavy rainfall in some pockets of coastal Tamil Nadu on Sunday and Monday, in south Kerala on Monday, and in Lakshadweep Islands on Tuesday.