December weather in India
This is a collection of articles, mainly from the Delhi- based press. |
This page is under construction. Data will continue to be added over the next several years.
December as a whole
Cold waves
Dec 2005, 2018 experienced the most cold waves Neha Madaan, 2018 December saw 167 cold waves, the highest in 13 years, January 16, 2019: The Times of India
+
Priyangi.Agarwal@timesgroup.com, Dec 2020
Definitions
In Delhi and the North Indian plains:
A “cold wave” day [is one in which] the minimum temperature is under 10 degrees Celsius and is at least four notches below normal.
A cold wave is a spell of cold weather in an area when the minimum temperature plunges below what is normal for that time of year by more than 5°C.
“Cold wave conditions” are reported when only a few monitoring stations in [Delhi] city meet the cold wave parameters.
A K Srivastava, head of the climate research division at IMD, Pune, said, “This means if a station’s normal minimum temperature is 11°C, its actual night temperature was recorded at 6°C or lower — a departure of -5°C. In the previous years, the number of such instances in the month of December was significantly less,” he said.
Frequency of cold waves in Delhi/ North India/ India
2005 : reported instances of December cold waves were 177.
2018 India experienced 167 instances of cold waves, the highest in 13 years, across different stations in December 2018, according to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
2017, December saw just 30 such instances.
[2018] winter has been marked by frequent western disturbances, which provided precipitation in the form of rain and snow in parts of north India.
Delhi/ N India's cold waves: 1992-2020
Eight cold wave days were reported in December 2018, which was highest in December since 1992..
Five “cold wave” days during [Dec 1 to 26, 2020 in Delhi] while “cold wave conditions” were recorded on a few more days in parts of the capital.
Four such days According to IMD data, this number of cold wave days in December was recorded in 2011.
In most December months [since 1990] — as many as 17 from 1992 to 2017 — not a single cold wave day was recorded, as per IMD records.
India: the warmest Decembers
Statistics
Neha Madaan / India sees warmest December in 122 yrs/ The Times of India/ 5 January 2023
Mean December temperature in India
21. 49°C: 2022 December: the highest since A.D. 1900
21. 46°C: 2008 December
Mean December temperature in central India
2022: the mean temperature in December was the highest in recorded history
Maharashtra, in particular, was quite warm during a good part of December. Thus, larger parts of India, including Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Telangana, saw positive minimum temperature departures (as high as +7°C) consistently during December 1-20.
2022: warmest on record
Neha Madaan / India sees warmest December in 122 yrs/ The Times of India/ 5 January 2023
India experienced its warmest December in recorded history in 2022, primarily due to above-normal temperatures in east, northeast and parts of central India, India Meteorological Department (IMD) data revealed .
Rajendra Jenamani, scientist at National Weather Forecasting Centre, IMD, told TOI, “The main reason for such highs was the above-normal temperatures in east and northeast India, and also partly central India. In east and northeast India, the maximum and mean December 2022 temperatures were the highest since 1901. ”
The easterly wave was predominant in parts of south India, which also affected temperatures in Maharashtra during the latter part of dec 2022. Clouding was seen up to north Konkan and even central India during that period, which caused a warming trend in those regions
Cold conditions started late in India in December 2022. “On a day-to-day basis, there were nocold wave, cold day and dense fog conditions over northern and central parts of India till December 15. The cold wave spell commenced mainly on December 18 night over northwest India (particularly Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and north Rajasthan) and cold day conditions on December 21,” he said.
D S Pai, director of Institute of Climate Change Studies, government of Kerala, told TOI, “December witnessed the formation of cyclone Mandous and other systems that caused clouding in parts of peninsular India, even up to parts of central India. ”
Delhi
2017: i) Delhi not experience a single ‘cold day’ or ‘cold wave’ day. ii) Both the mean maximum temperature and the mean minimum were above normal.
2023: i) Delhi not experience a single ‘cold day’ or ‘cold wave’ day ii) Both the mean maximum temperature and the mean minimum were above normal. iii) The mean maximum temperature was 24.1 degrees Celsius; the normal is 22.8 degrees Celsius iv) The mean minimum temperature was 8.6 degrees Celsius; the normal is 8.4 degrees Celsius.
Delhi, December weather
1945- 2017
ii) December temperatures in Delhi in 2017
From The Times of India
See graphic, 'i) December temperatures in Delhi, 1945- 2017
ii) December temperatures in Delhi in 2017 '
2018-22
Graphic courtesy: [ The Times of India]
See graphic, December weather in Delhi, 2018- 22
December 2022 turned out to be colder than 2021, and driest in seven year, despite there being just two cold days and no cold wave.
The city overall did not record cold waves in 2022
against
eight in 2018
seven in 2020,
four in December 2021,
three in 2019.
Similarly, there was minimal humidity in December 2022 which kept the rains away completely.
December 2021 had four rainy days,
2019 and 2018, two each and
2020 one.
The average maximum and minimum temperature for December 2022 was 23. 6 degre-es and 7. 4 degrees Celsius against
22. 4 and 8. 1 in December 2021,
23. 4 and 7. 1 in 2020
18. 7 and 7. 6 in 2019.
In the decade [2013-22],
December 2018 had been the coldest with an average minimum temperature of 6. 7 degree Celsius.
Delhi/ the coldest Decembers
1992 2018
From The Times of India
See graphic, December temperatures in Delhi, 1992 2018 Amit.Bhattacharya |3.7°C: Chilliest Dec morning in 4 years, month in line to be coldest since 2005 | The Times of India
2018: Delhiites experienced a cold December after witnessing three consecutive years of mild weather during the month. The average minimum temperature till 23 Dec was around a degree lower than normal.
In fact, at 7.7 degrees C, the average minimum temperature till 23rd of this month was already the lowest in December since 2005 (see graphic).
Yadav said western disturbances (WDs) — episodic wind flows travelling into north India from southern Europe and west Asia, which bring rain and snow into the region — have not significantly impacted the northern plains so far this month, with most blowing over from J&K.
“While the hills have received some snowfall, the northern plains have been largely dry and cloudless. Moisture levels have thus been low and dense fog hasn’t formed in most parts of northwest India so far. This has led to a pattern of sunny days and cold nights, with persistent northwesterly winds adding to the chill,” Yadav said.
In fact, this is the first instance since 2011 when temperatures in the capital have fallen below 4 degrees C before December 25. Temperatures such as Sunday’s minimum of 3.7 degrees C are usually seen in the capital during the peak winter period — generally the last week of December and the first two weeks of January.
The last time Delhi had December temperatures lower than 3.7 degrees C was on December 28, 2014, when 2.6 degrees C was recorded at Safdarjung.
1993- 2018: Lowest average minimum temperatures
Lowest average minimum temperatures in Delhi in December, 1993 2018
From The Times of India
For Delhiites, December is usually a milder prelude to the severe chill of January. But this season, peak winter didn’t just arrive early, it has broken temperature records.
The December of 2018 was the coldest in 13 years and the third-coldest in the past 50 years in the capital. The month had six days of below 4 degrees C temperatures, the highest for December since 1973. Minimum temperatures have, in fact, remained below normal for 18 consecutive days (since December 13) now.
The major reason for the sustained chill was the absence of fog. This was the clearest December in at least 22 years, with just 145 hours of fog (of all types) against a normal of 300 hours. The month had just two nights and a total of nine hours of dense fog while the normal is nine nights and 45 hours.
Just as unusually, the average minimum temperature of the month was 6.7 degrees C, lower than the average minimum of last January (7 degrees C). Thus, 2018 was a rare year when December was colder than January [of the same year, i.e. 11 months before].
2007-2019: Lowest minimum temperatures
From: December 16, 2020: The Times of India
See graphic:
2007-2019: Lowest minimum temperatures
2019 December: the average maximum temperature was 18.7 degrees C in 2019, a 22-year low; ii) 18 ‘cold days’ were recorded.
Delhi: the warmest winters, 2007-20
December 11, 2020: The Times of India
From: December 11, 2020: The Times of India
After an ‘extra’ cold start, winter turns warm in Dec At 29°C, Delhi Sees Third Highest Temperature In 14 Years TIMES NEWS NETWORK
New Delhi:
In contrast to both October and November, December [2020] has turned out to be much warmer than usual so far. Delhi recorded a maximum of 29 degrees Celsius on Wednesday — the third highest maximum temperature in December in the last 14 years, while the maximum temperature on Thursday was 28.3 degrees Celsius – four degrees above what is considered normal for this time of the season.
The record for the maximum temperature in December is 30 degrees Celsius, which was recorded on December 1, 2014.
IMD data since 2007 shows Delhi has only recorded a warmer December day on December 6, 2011 when the maximum was 29.5 degrees Celsius, while Delhi broke the all-time record for December on December 1, 2014 when the maximum touched 30 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature (10.9 degrees Celsius) on Thursday was also two degrees above normal. According to IMD, the maximum could stay around 28 degrees Celsius on Friday, while the minimum could rise further to hover around 12 degrees.
Delhi’s air quality, meanwhile, improved to the ‘poor’ category on Thursday with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 284, owing to an increase in wind speed and better ventilation. Higher temperatures also facilitate dispersal of pollutants. The AQI on Wednesday was 358 (very poor).
Highest minimum temperature
2015-20
14.4 degrees Celsius, six degrees above normal: 12 Dec 2020
15 degrees 9 Dec 2015
Delhi/ mild Decembers, but not global warming: 2015-17
Amit.Bhattacharya | Dec 2017 City misses New Year chill — for third year in a row The Times of India
New Delhi: For the third time in a row, Delhiites ushered in the New Year without experiencing the severe chill so characteristic of peak winter in the capital. This was the third consecutive December in Delhi without the temperature falling below 5 degrees Celsius for a single day.
The month of December can sometimes be mild in Delhi. But to have three such Decembers back-to-back is much more unusual — this was just the second instance in the past 25 years. The average maximum temperature this December was almost one degree above the 25-year mean while the average minimum was higher by 0.7 degree C.
Is this part of a larger global warming trend? Met officials say it’s difficult to make that connection.
“We analysed temperature data for December since 1992 and found no significant trends. The average minimum temperatures seem to be rising but not enough for it to be climatologically significant,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre.
Srivastava offered a more direct reason for the warmish trend this December — high altitude wind flows called western disturbances. WDs, as these are usually called, regulate winter weather in north India by bringing in cold and wet spells into the region from as far out as southern Europe.
“This year, only one WD impacted Delhi-NCR this month, when the city got rain on December 11, followed by a sharp drop in night temperature. Other WDs have been coming into the region, but all of them are so positioned that they have only been affected Jammu and Kashmir,” Srivastava said.
On an average, two to three WDs hit NCR in December, he added.
December this year has seen mostly clear skies, which has played a role in keeping day temperatures on the higher side. “Wind direction too has been mostly westerly, whereas it’s northerly winds that bring temperatures down during this time of the year,” the RWFC official said.
Average temperatures this month, however, weren’t as high as in the same month last year, which was the second warmest December on record in Delhi since 2000.
Delhi: Fog
1996- 2018
ii) Number of days with under 4°C temperatures, 1973-2018
Minimum temperatures in Delhi in Dec. 2018.
From The Times of India
See graphic, 'Fog in Delhi, 1996 2018
ii) Number of days with under 4°C temperatures, 1973-2018
Minimum temperatures in Delhi in Dec. 2018.’
Jammu city
Lowest temperatures recorded in December
0.1 degree Celsius December 30, 2012
0.2 degree Celsius at Chatha observatory nearJammu Airport: Dec 30, 2020
0.6 degree Celsius On December 31, 2007 also at Jammu’s Chatha observatory
0.9 degrees Celsius December 28, 1998,
2.3 degrees Celsius on December 31, 2007.
2.4 degrees Celsius on December 27, 2014.
2.4 degree Celsius December 29, 2018
2.4 degrees Celsius December 30, 2019
Lowest day temperatures
Gopal Sharma
8.0 Degree Celsius 2019, Dec 29/ 30:
8.1 Degree Celsius December 31, 2013 .
Mount Abu
2014, Dec 16: Mount Abu freezes at 0.4 degree Celsius/ DeshGujarat
2019, December 18: Mount Abu froze as mercury fell to zero degree Celsius| TV9News
North India
2020: a harsh winter
Amit.Bhattacharya@timesgroup.com The Times of India
This winter (Nov Dec 2020), which has been one of the harshest so far in recent years, has seen as many as five cities in the plains hitting freezing point, the other two cities being Sikar in Rajasthan and Narnaul, both recording a minimum of -0.5 degrees C in recent days.
That’s not all, two more cities came close to freezing in the last week of December. Pilani in Rajasthan recorded a low of 0.2 degrees C and Amritsar in Punjab 0.4 degrees C.
“Lower than normal minimum temperatures in the northern plains were expected this winter. The India Meteorological Department had said as much in its seasonal forecast in early December. On a global scale, this is a La Nina year, when temperatures over the Pacific are unusually low. Such years normally lead to harsh winters in north India,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, head of IMD.
Pune
2012-22
Graphic courtesy: The Times of India
See graphic 'Average mean temperature in Pune in December, 2012-22’
1st December
2nd December
Delhi/ 9°C min/ 2018
Delhi’s minimum temperature was recorded at 9 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year. The capital has been recording a minimum temperature below 11 degrees Celsius for the last few days.
3rd December
Kashmir and Ladakh, 2018
Srinagar witnessed the coldest night of the season as the minimum temperatures dropped due to clear night sky. The other minimum temperatures recorded were:
Gulmarg minus 3.1 degrees Celsius
Kargil minus 9.0 degrees Celsius.
Leh town 9.3 degrees Celsius
Pahalgam minus 5.1 degrees Celsius
4th December
Delhi/ 8. 6°C min/ 2018
The temperature dipped to 8.6°C min on 3 and 4 Dec 2018.
Jammu & Kashmir/ 2018
Minimum (i.e. night) temperatures
Banihal 2.5 degrees Celsius
Batote 3.4 degrees Celsius,
Bhaderwah 1.3 degrees Celsius.
Gulmarg minus 4.0 degrees Celsius,
Jammu city 8.9 degrees Celsius,
Kargil minus 9.7 degrees Celsius, Jammu
Katra 8.6 degrees Celsius,
Leh minus 10.6 degrees Celsius,
Pahalgam was at minus 5.5 degrees Celsius,
Srinagar recorded the coldest night of the season so far at minus 3.2 degrees Celsius as the temperatures started dipping across Kashmir.
Day (i.e. maximum temperatures)
Banihal 17.1 degrees Celsius
Batote 17.3 degrees Celsius,
Bhaderwah 15.8 degrees Celsius.
Gulmarg 7.0 degrees Celsius,
Jammu city 23.5 degrees Celsius,
Kargil minus 4.0 degrees Celsius,
Katra 20.4 degrees Celsius,
Leh 8.2 degrees Celsius,
Pahalgam was at 11.0 degrees Celsius,
Srinagar recorded 11.2 degrees Celsius
5th December
Delhi/ 9 to 14°C min/ 2011-17
In 2011, the minimum on December 5 touched 11 degrees Celsius
In both 2012 and 2016, it was 9°C min.
In 2017, it was quite high at 14 degrees Celsius, IMD data showed.
Delhi/ 8.4°C min/ 2018
Wednesday was the coldest day of the season in the capital with the minimum temperature dipping to 8.4 degrees Celsius, one degree below the average for this time of the year. It was also the chilliest December 5 in eight years.
6th December
7th December
Jammu & Kashmir: 2018
Minimum temperatures
Bannihal 5.2 degrees Celsius
Batote 7.5 degrees Celsius
Bhaderwah 0.5 degrees Celsius
Gulmarg minus 6.2°C
Jammu city 7.3 degrees Celsius,
Katra 7.5 degrees Celsius
Pahalgam minus 6.0 degrees Celsius
Srinagar minus 4.0 degrees Celsius
The maximum day temperatures
Bannihal 15.1 degrees Celsius
Batote 15.8 degrees Celsius
Bhaderwah 13.8 degrees Celsius .
Gulmarg 5.3 degrees Celsius
Jammu city 22.2 degrees Celsius
Katra 19.6 degrees Celsius
Pahalgam 9.1 degrees Celsius
Srinagar 11.0 degrees Celsius
8th December
Delhi/ between 7.6, 14 °C min/ 2011-18
Minimum temperatures
2018: 7.6 °C
2012: 9°C
2016: 9 degrees Celsius
2017: 9 degrees Celsius,
2014: 10°C
2013: 10°C
2015: 12°C
2011: 14°Celsius.
9th December
10th December
11th December
Delhi/ 2mm: first wet spell in December in 3 years/ 2017
Light rain hit Delhi and National Capital Region on Monday evening, bringing with it the prospect of relief from high pollution levels that were hovering close to “severe” till the morning and some winter chill over the next few days.
The Safdarjung weather station had recorded 2mm of rain till 8.30pm and more rain was forecast for later in the night and Tuesday morning. This was the first proper wet spell in the month of December in the capital for the past three years. The capital did not get any rain in December in 2015 and ’16, while almost trace rain (0.1mm) was recorded last week (December 7).
Delhi’s overall air quality index was 361on Monday, which falls in the “very poor” category. However, air quality is likely to improve to “poor” or “moderate” levels on Tuesday.
Data according to CPCB’s central control room on Monday showed average PM 2.5 levels at 246 micrograms per cubic metre at 7 pm, while the average PM 10 levels were recorded at 417 micrograms per cubic metre – both over four times the safe standard.
12th December
Delhi/ 7.8 mm rain, air gets better/ 2017
Rain makes city colder, but air now so much better
The city’s maximum temperature plummeted on Tuesday after a spell of evening and overnight showers. Till 8.30am, 7.8 mm of rain was recorded, resulting in a sharp drop in pollution levels as well. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) which was hovering close to “severe” levels on Monday morning fell to the “poor” category with an AQI of 214 recorded on Tuesday.
Capital’s Safdarjung observatory — which is considered as the base for Delhi’s weather — recorded 7.8mm of rainfall till 8.30am on Tuesday, while other weather stations also received similar rainfall overnight. Palam, Lodhi road and Ridge all received 6.8mm of rainfall till 8.30 am, while Ayanagar recorded 4.8mm of rainfall in the same period.
“The overnight showers have also contributed to a drop in pollution levels. Delhi’s average PM10 levels were hovering close to 420 micrograms per cubic metre on Monday afternoon, which were recorded at 139 micrograms per cubic metre on Tuesday at 8pm. Similarly, average PM2.5 levels which were recorded at 246 micrograms per cubic metre on Monday fell to 113 micrograms per cubic metre on Tuesday. The corresponding safe values for both ultrafine particles is 100 and 60 micrograms per cubic metre respectively.
In the National Capital Region (NCR), Ghaziabad, Noida and Faridabad were all recorded in the “poor” category, while Gurgaon recorded “moderate” air quality with an AQI of 192. Delhi’s average PM 2.5 levels hovered around two times the safe standard and levels are forecast to dip even more, experts said.
Jammu & Kashmir, 2018
Daily Excelsior
Gopal Sharma, Fayaz Bukhari | Dec 12| Daily Excelsior
JAMMU/ SRINAGAR: Over 2000 vehicles were stranded after Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was closed for traffic due to snowfall in Jawahar Tunnel area this afternoon, while with the continuous rain since last night, the temperature in Jammu has gone about 8 degrees below normal.
Most of the areas in Kashmir, including famous tourist resorts of Gulmarg, Sonamarg and Pahalgam and Patnitop, Bhaderwah, Latti-Dudu and Mata Vaishnodevi hills in Jammu region experienced heavy snowfall, registering a sharp fall in the temperature.
Jammu city registered a fall of 9.3 degree Celsius in just past 24 hours. Entire region has been reeling under the grip of cold wave.
IG, Traffic, Alok Kumar told the Excelsior that over 250 stranded light motor vehicles in Ramban and Banihal areas due to landslides at Digdol and Seri were cleared for Srinagar. The shooting stones, at Battery Chashma also suspended movement of vehicles for some time. After 3 pm, the movement of traffic towards Kashmir was totally stopped due to reported accumulation of over 1.5 ft snow in tunnel area.
Kumar further disclosed that two persons were also injured as shooting stones hit two light vehicles at Seri and Peerah today.
Due to snowfall, Latti-Dudu-Basantgarh-Ramnagar road in Udhampur, Bani- Sarthal-Bhaderwah, Kishtwar – Sinthon Top-Anantnag, Rajouri-Dera Gali-Bafliaz-Poonch roads were also closed after snowfall. The power supply to most of these snow clad areas has been snapped.
There was also heavy snowfall in South Kashmir’s Shopian, Kokernag, Pahalgam areas. It was drizzling in Srinagar this evening and snowing in South Kashmir.
Srinagar-Leh National Highway and Mughal road is also closed for traffic due to snowfall for the last two days.
Due to cloud cover in the last three days, the minimum temperature had increased across Jammu and Kashmir, bringing in respite from the cold wave. Torrential rains since last night lashed whole Chenab belt and surroundings of Bhaderwah, Kishtwar and Gandoh which witnessed fresh snowfall of the season.
The surroundings of Bhadarwah valley which include Ashapati, Seoj Dhar, Kailash Kund,Shankhoja, Dugga, Kansar, Subar Dhar,Thuba, Dhamunda, Sharekhi, Bumlakhi, Mathola, Chinchora, Dhara, Hanga and Jai witnessed 1.5 to 3 feet of fresh snowfall, while Bhadarwah, Kishtwar and Gandoh towns recorded 3, to 4 inches, simultaneously.
The higher reaches of Kishtwar, Doda, Ramban, Banihal and Gandoh including Padder,Marwah, Sinthan Top, Mughal Maidan, Dessa, Gurmal, Siraj, Tanta, Gandri, Kabbi, Neel Top, Mahu, Mangat, Kharri , Gool and other higher reaches also received moderate to heavy snowfall. Mahore- Gool road has also been closed due to heavy snowfall at Daggan Top.
The minimum temperatures:
Banihal 1.4 °C
Batote zero °C
Bhaderwah 0.3°C
Gulmarg minus 8°C
Jammu city 9.6 °C
Kargil minus 9.3 degrees Celsius
Katra 8.2°C
Leh minus 9.1 °C
Pahalgam were minus 5°C
Srinagar 0.2 °C
The maximum temperature
Bhadwerwah town 12.2 deg C below normal.
Jammu 13.2 degree C which was about 8 degrees below the normal temperature of 22.5 degree C
Katra 7.8 deg C below normal
Kokernag 1.3 degree Celsius ie 9.1 degree Celsius below normal.
Pahalgam 1.6 degree Celsius ie 5.5 degree Celsius below normal°C
Qazigund recorded 1.4 degree Celsius ie 8.2 degree Celsius below normal°C
Srinagar recording 6.8 degree Celsius which is 2.8 degrees below normal°C
Shimla 6.8cm, Uttarakhand pilgrimages 1' snow; J&K NH blocked/ 2018
The Times of India
Shimla received season’s first snowfall. It has so far received 6.8cm snowfall. The lower hills of Himachal Pradesh and parts of Punjab and Haryana also saw rain that brought down temperatures by a few notches. Jammu & Kashmir and Uttarakhand too witnessed some snowfall. Inclement weather, however, left hundreds of vehicles stranded on the 270km Jammu-Srinagar National Highway after it was closed by authorities. Kedarnath, Badrinath, Gangotri and Yamunotri in Uttarakhand received around a foot of snow while lower areas received light showers
13th December
Kashmir, Ladakh/ Lowest temperatures in years, 2018
Pahalgam experiences coldest Dec night in over decade |PTI | Dec 14, 2018
Gulmarg: minus 10.6 degrees Celsius - a drop of over a degree from the previous night's minus 9.5 degrees Celsius. It was the coldest December night in the last three years. Gulmarg was the coldest recorded place in the state - colder than Leh and Kargil towns of Ladakh region.
Kargil town: minus 9.9 degrees Celsius, compared to minus 9.3 degrees Celsius the previous night.
Kokernag town: minus 3.8 degrees Celsius.
Kupwara minus 3.2 degrees Celsius
Leh: minus 5.9 degrees Celsius- an increase of three degrees from the previous night's minus 8.9 degrees Celsius.
Pahalgam: The night temperature plummeted over eight degrees from the previous night's minus 1.5 degrees Celsius to settle at a low of minus 9.7 degrees Celsius. The coldest December night in the a decade
Qazigund: minus 3.4 degrees Celsius
Srinagar city: minus 1.0 degree Celsius - down from 0.1 degree Celsius the previous night.
Mumbai, highest maximum of the month
2021 The highest maximum recorded in Mumbai in Dec 2021 was
35°C
14th December
Delhi/ 19.1°C max, between 4.9 and 11.2 °C min, 2017
19.1 degrees Celsius: this was the lowest maximum temperature of the season [till that day]; minimum temperature on Thursday was 11.2 degrees Celsius [presumably at Safdarjang] The Palam weather station recorded a minimum of 8 degrees Celsius, while Lodhi Road and Ayanagar recorded a minimum of 6.6 and 7.5 degrees. The lowest was recorded at the Ridge where it fell to 4.9 degrees, an official said.
Delhi/ Season’s first fog, flights delayed, trains cancelled, 2018
Season’s first: Fog delays over 100 flights | The Times of India
For the first time this winter, over 100 flights were delayed and another nine were diverted at Indira Gandhi International Airport owing to bad weather conditions. Officials quoted low visibility, traffic congestion and flights or pilots not being CAT compliant as reasons for the trouble.
The visibility on the runway, officials said, was worst at 50m between 7am and 9am when nine flights were diverted. Conditions started improving from 9.30am, and there was no problem in the evening. The runway visual range (RVR) gradually started to improve to 300m by 10am.
Northern Railway, meanwhile, had already cancelled around 105 trains on both December 14 and 15 to allow the remaining trains to run on its routes.
Mumbai/ 15.8°C, 2017
At 15.8 degrees Celsius, temperature dips to season’s lowest in Mumbai
15th December
Delhi/ 19.5°C max, 7.3°C min, 2017
The maximum temperature in the city stayed below the 20-degree mark for the second consecutive day on Friday while the minimum temperature plunged to 7.3 degrees Celsius [presumably at Safdarjang] — the lowest this season. The maximum temperature was 19.5 degrees Celsius — four notches below normal for the season.
Kashmir, Pahalgam/ minus 10.4°C, 2007
Pahalgam had recorded minus 10.4 degrees Celsius on December 15, 2007. The minimum temperature did not settle lower than that till 2018.
Mumbai, highest maximum of the day
2022: 34.9 deg C The highest maximum temperature of the day
16th December
Delhi, 7.6°C, 2017
Minimum temperature recorded at 7.6 degrees Celsius – one notch below normal for the season.
Delhi, 7.2°C, 2018
Delhi’s minimum temperature was recorded at 7.2 degrees Celsius, one notch below the normal for this time of the year and the lowest so far this season. The maximum was 23.5° Celsius, normal for this time of the year.
Mumbai, highest maximum of the day
The highest maximum temperature during the day was
2022: 35.6 degrees Celsius at Santacruz
17th December
Delhi, 6.2°C, 2018
The coldest day of the season so far as with a minimum temperature of 6.2 degrees Celsius — two degrees below normal for the season.
Mumbai, highest maximum of the day
The highest maximum temperature during the day was
2022: 35.9 degrees Celsius at Santacruz
making it the highest day temperature in the country
Night temperature, presumably the highest minimum
2022: 24.8 degrees / Colaba and 23.4 degrees/ Santacruz.
Met officials have blamed the wind pattern for the rise in temperature in the city. "The presence of south-easterly winds at the lower level is leading to this rise." Officials had said the depression in Arabian sea changed the wind pattern.--
18th December
Delhi, 5.1°C, 2018
Delhi recorded its coldest morning of the season at just 5.1degrees Celsius — three notches below normal for the season.
19th December
20th December
Delhi 4°C/ Sikar, Churu 0.5°C, north India chilly, 2018
From The Times of India
At 4°C, capital wakes up to coldest Dec morning in 4 yrs The Times of India
Delhi recorded its coldest December morning in four years, with the minimum temperature plummeting to 4 degrees Celsius — four notches below normal — as a cold wave swept through the northern plains. Night temperatures have already fallen below 2 degrees C at several places in north Rajasthan and Punjab. The lowest temperature recorded in the plains on Thursday was 0.5 degree C at Sikar and Churu, both in Rajasthan. Many places in the region also reported ground frost.
Jammu & Kashmir/ 2018
Cold wave intensifies as ‘Chillai Kalan’ sets in |21/12/2018| Daily Excelsior
A day before the 40-day-long period of harsh winter ‘Chillai Kalan’ (the bigger or greater chill) sets in, cold wave swept Kashmir today with further dropping.
Water bodies have already started freezing in the Valley so are the water tapes in the morning. Small fires are lit each morning around water taps to de-freeze them. The freezing of tapes leads to water shortages in the morning.
The power crisis in Kashmir has further worsened as the temperatures dropped. The power cuts in Kashmir valley are around 10-12 hours and besides this, there are unscheduled power cuts that further irk the residents.
Minimum (night) temperatures
Banihal minus 1.5
Batote 1.6
Bhaderwah 0.3 degrees Celsius
Gulmarg minus 5.4 degrees Celsius
Jammu 6.1 degrees Celsius
Katra 6.2
Leh minus 14.7 degrees Celsius
Pahalgam minus 6.8
Srinagar minus 4.9
Maximum (day) temperatures
Banihal 16.6 °C
Batote 15.0
Bhaderwah 12.0 degrees Celsius
Jammu 21.0 degrees Celsius
Katra 18.2
Leh 7.0 degrees Celsius
Pahalgam 5.0 degrees Celsius
Pahalgam 9.4
Srinagar 10.6 °C
21st December
Gurgaon 2.4°C, Delhi 4.7°C, 2018
Capital shivers, but Ggn coldest at 2.4°C The Times of India Air Quality Remains Very Poor
Delhi NCR continued to reel under a cold wave and Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 4.7 degrees, three notches below normal, maximum temperature was recorded at 20.6 degrees, one degree below normal. Gurgaon was the coldest – shivering at a minimum of 2.4 degrees Celsius.
Slightly increased wind speed — from 2.5 kmph to 3.6 kmph
22nd December
Gurgaon 1.4°C, Jammu 3.9, Delhi 4°C, 2018
Delhi cold, but Gurgaon feels the chill at 1.4°C The Times of India
Gurgaon recorded a low of 1.4 degrees Celsius. Delhi matched its own season’s low of 4 degrees. Air quality in the region has also deteriorated to ‘severe’ with Delhi recording an overall air quality index of 421 on Saturday.
Experts said the increase in moisture content, aided by low winds and falling temperature could see air quality stay in a similar range for the next few days due to these unfavourable weather conditions.
Jammu 3.9
23rd December
Jammu & Kashmir, 2018
WDs may hit J&K on Jan 1-2
Minimum
Batote 1.5
Bhaderwah 0.1 degrees Celsius
Drass in Kargil district was the coldest place at minus 17.3 degree Celsius
Gulmarg minus 5.5 degrees Celsius
Jammu 6.7 degrees Celsius
Kargil minus 14.5 degrees Celsius
Katra 6.0
Leh recorded minus 14.3
Pahalgam minus 6.7 degrees Celsius
Srinagar minus 4.4 degrees Celsius
Maximum
Banihal 13.7
Batote 12.2
Bhaderwah 12.5 degrees Celsius
Jammu 19.7degrees Celsius
Katra 16.6
The sub-zero temperatures have led to the freezing of fringes of Dal lake and other water bodies in Kashmir. The water tapes have also frozen in Kashmir creating water shortages in the morning but as the sun comes out, the frozen tapes melt bringing relief to the people.
The power cuts in extreme cold weather conditions have added to the hardships of the common people.
Zaffar Ahmad said that consumers are facing 10-14 hours of power cut daily and that during the remaining hours power trips off after every half an hour. He said that the Power Department says that they have enough power as per the consumer load but they blamed consumers for power thefts. “We are paying bills as per meter reading. If any consumer is resorting to power theft, he should be booked under law”, he said.
Muzaffarnagar 0°C, Gurgaon 3.5, Delhi, 3.7°C, 2018
2018: Chilliest December morning since 2014 as the temperature dipped to 3.7 degrees Celsius on the fourth day of the cold wave sweeping across north India. The mercury touched freezing point (0 degree C) at Muzaffarnagar in western UP.
Gurgaon continued to be the coldest place in Delhi’s neighbourhood at 3.5 degrees C.
24th December
Kashmir, Gulmarg/ minus 12.5°C, 2015
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 12.5 degrees Celsius on December 24, 2015.
North India, 2020
PTI | Dec 24, 2020
Delhi In the national capital, the minimum temperature remained below five degrees Celsius for the second consecutive day The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded a minimum of 4.5 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, and a maximum of 23.1 degrees Celsius.Earlier in the day, "dense" fog reduced visibility in parts of the city, affecting traffic movement.
Haryana: Ambala, Karnal, Narnaul, Rohtak, Bhiwani and Sirsa also registered below normal minimums at 5.7, 2.9, 4.6, 4.6, 5.2 and 6.3 degrees Celsius. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a low of 4.7 degrees Celsius.
Himachal Pradesh's Keylong, Kalpa and Mandi shivered at sub-zero temperature. The tribal district Lahaul-Spiti's administrative centre Keylong remained the coldest place in the state at minus 8.4 degrees Celsius. Kalpa in Kinnaur district and Mandi recorded a low of minus 2.2 and minus 1 degrees Celsius, he added. Manali, Dalhousie and Kufri recorded a low of zero, 4.3 and 4.5 degrees Celsius respectively. The minimum temperature in Shimla was recorded at 4.1 degrees Celsius, he added.
Jammu and Kashmir, the night temperature marked an improvement but continued to settle below the freezing point, the Met officials said. The weather has remained dry and cold across Kashmir since the snowfall on December 12, with the night temperature staying several degrees below the freezing point, they said. The officials said Srinagar — the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir — recorded a low of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius –up from the previous night's minus 5 degrees Celsius. Gulmarg was the coldest recorded place in the valley.
Punjab, the minimum temperatures hovered well below the normal limits. Adampur in Punjab reeled under intense chill recording a low of 1.6 degrees Celsius, while biting cold prevailed in Ludhiana too at 2.1 degrees Celsius.
Rajasthan: Most parts reeled under intense cold conditionsand Churu was the coldest place in the state with a minimum temperature of 4.8 degrees Celsius followed by Pilani where the night temperature was 4.9 degrees Celsius.
Uttar Pradesh, a blanket of very dense fog enveloped isolated places. The night temperature was appreciably below normal in Gorakhpur, Bareilly and Moradabad divisions, below normal in Ayodhya, Lucknow, Prayagraj and Kanpur divisions and normal in the rest, it said. The lowest minimum temperature in the state was recorded in Muzaffarnagar at 2.5 degrees Celsius, while Jhansi, with 26.1 degrees Celsius, recorded the highest temperature.
25th December
Delhi on Christmas day
2014: ‘Around 16 °C’ Temperatures stayed at around 16 degrees on Christmas day in 2014.
2022: 16. 2 °C max; The maximum temperature plummeted to 16. 2 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, ushering the season’s first “cold day” conditions. Several parts of the city suffered a double whammy of “cold day” as well as “cold wave” conditions with the minimum temperature dropping to as low as 3 degrees at the Ridge station, as intense chill swept across northern India.
26th December
Munnar/ minus 2 °C, 2020
Mercury drops for the second day at Munnar| DECEMBER 27, 2020 The Hindu
it was minus 2 degrees Celsius on Saturday,
27th December
Munnar/ 1°C, 2020
Mercury drops for the second day at Munnar| DECEMBER 27, 2020 The Hindu
it was 1 degree Celsius on Sunday.
The temperature recorded at various places in Munnar on Sunday: Latchmi and Nallathanny: 1 degree Celsius each; Sevenmalay, Chenduvarai: 2 degrees Celsius each; Mattupetty and Periyakanal: 3 degrees Celsius each. Pallivasal and Gundumalay recorded 6 and 5 degrees Celsius respectively.
There was a heavy rush of tourists to Munnar in connection with the Christmas and New Year holidays.
Almost all the rooms at hotels and resorts have been booked till January 1.
Other tourist centres such as Wagamon and Ramakkalmedu also witnessed high turnout of tourists.
The business activities at Kumily is entirely dependant on tourism in Munnar.
The Idukki dam witnessed heavy tourist inflow.
An official at the ticket counter at the Cheruthoni dam said that 4,890 people visited Idukki dam on Sunday.
More than 10,000 people came to Idukki and Cheruthoni dams over three days, he said.
28th December
Delhi, 2.6°C, 2014
(In recent times) the only times when temperatures had fallen below 4 degrees C in December was in 2014 (December 28), when 2.6 degrees C was recorded in Safdarjung, and 2018 (when 3.7°C etc were recorded).
29th December
Kashmir and Ladakh/ 2017
Gulmarg in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius over a degree colder than the previous night’s minus 4 degrees Celsius. The day temperature was 3.0 degrees Celsius, 0.3 degrees above normal.
Kargil town night temperature settled at a low of minus 9.2 degrees Celsius compared to minus 9.6 degrees Celsius the previous night. The day temperature was 0.6 degrees Celsius.
Kokernag town recorded a low of 0.2 degree Celsius – up from yesterday’s minus 1.1 degrees Celsius. The day temperature settled at 10.4 degrees Celsius, 4.1 degrees above normal.
Kupwara town in north Kashmir registered a low of minus 3.5 degrees Celsius last night, a decrease of over a degree from the previous night’s minus 2.4 degrees Celsius. The day temperature was 14.3 degrees Celsius, 6.3 degrees above normal.
Leh town recorded a low of minus 11.4 degrees Celsius a decrease of over four degrees from the previous night’s minus 7.1 degrees Celsius. The day temperature was 4.5 degrees Celsius.
Pahalgam night temperature recorded a low of minus 5.4 degrees Celsius, nearly three degrees down from yesterday’s minus 2.5 degrees Celsius. The day temperature was 9.3 degrees Celsius, 3.6 degrees above normal.
Qazigund in south Kashmir settled at a low of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius, nearly a degree down from minus 1.6 degrees Celsius the previous night. The day temperature was 12.2 degrees Celsius, 4.3 degrees above normal.
Srinagar city recorded the minimum temperature of minus 2.8 degrees Celsius last night, slightly down from minus 2.7 degrees Celsius the previous night. The day temperature was 12.4 degrees Celsius, 4.5 degrees above normal.
30th December
Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh/ 2019
Kashmir
Srinagar, minus 6.5 degrees Celsius. down from minus 6.2 degrees Celsius the previous night
Gulmarg minus 7.8 degrees Celsius last night – down from the previous night’s minus 6.6 degrees Celsius.
Pahalgam, settled at a low of minus 10.2 degrees Celsius as against minus 10.4 degrees Celsius . Pahalgam, was in fact the coldest recorded place in the Valley.
Qazigund –minus 9.3 degrees Celsius – slightly up from minus 9.5 degrees Celsius on Sunday;
Kokernag town,minus 7.3 degrees Celsius,
Kupwara minus 5.6 degrees Celsius .
Ladakh
Leh town, minus 20.1 degrees Celsius – down from the previous night’s minus 19.0 degrees Celsius.
Drass town minus 28.8 degrees Celsius.
Jammu region
Banihal the snow-bound town along the Jammu-Srinagar National Highway was the coldest recorded place with a low of minus 1.6 degree Celsius
Bhaderwah in Doda district minus 0.2 degree Celsius.
Katra town, 4.4 degrees Celsius against the previous night’s 3.3 degrees Celsius
31st December
Delhi/ Season’s worst fog hits 220 flights/ 2017
TIMESNEWSNETWORK
New Delhi: It was a nightmare for travellers flying in and out of Delhi on 31 Dec 2017 morning as almost 220 flights from IGI airport were affected by the season’s worst fog.
Visibility at the airport fell to as low as 50 metres on the morning of New Year’s eve, with flight schedules going haywire. Low visibility also affected train services in the morning, with over 90 delayed, cancelled and re-scheduled due to the dense fog.
Over 150 flights were delayed and nearly 50 were diverted . Furthermore, around 20 flights were cancelled due to low visibility on the runway.
15 trains cancelled, 57 delayed due to fog
According to Met officials, visibility fell below 200 metre by 6am which is classified as “dense” and it further intensified to “very dense” by 7am when the visibility fell below 50 metre in the airport area. Sources said that no flight could take off for nearly four hours between 7.30am and 11.00am— there should be a minimum runway visibility of 125 metre for flights to take off.
“Fog of very dense category severely affected the IGI airport in the morning, with both general airport visibility and runway visibility at all sides remaining below 75 metre. This is by far the worst fog of the season,” said an airport Met official.
IGI airport is CAT IIIB compliant because of which pilots qualified to land in visibility of 25-50 metre were able to land during this period. However, nearly 50 flights were diverted to nearby airports as many pilots were not CAT IIIB-compliant.
Airport sources said that even though visibility improved to 2,000 metre during the day and operations at the airport restored to normal, delays continued throughout the day.
Meanwhile, the dense fog also led to 57 trains arriving late in the morning and 18 more were re-scheduled. Railway officials said another 15 trains had to be cancelled due to poor visibility. Met officials forecast dense fog for Monday morning as well with maximum and minimum temperatures to be around 23 and 5 degrees Celsius, respectively. The minimum temperature on New Year’s eve was recorded at 6.4 degrees Celsius — one degree below normal.
See also
See also
January weather in India <> February weather in India <> March weather in India <> April weather in India <> May weather in India <> June weather in India <> Summers: India<> Heatwaves: India <>July weather in India <> August weather in India <> September weather in India <> Monsoons: India<> October weather in India <> November weather in India <> December weather in India <> Winter rains: India <> Winters: India <> Heatwaves: India
