New Delhi:
The relief that Delhiites have experienced over the past two days with minimum temperatures going up may be shortlived. The Met Department has warned that the cold wave will intensify and dense fog will most likely return by Christmas.
The minimum temperatures are likely to begin dipping by December 24 and it is going to be extremely cold and foggy over north India, says R K Jenamani, Director-in-charge of the Met office at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
Tuesday saw the minimum temperature in Delhi falling to 4.8 degree Celsius, three degrees below normal. A thick blanket of fog had led to several accidents, including a pile-up on the Greater Noida Expressway. This came a day after the city had recorded a minimum of 5 degrees Celsius, on Monday.
But this figure has been steadily rising since. Today's minimum temperature was 7 degrees Celsius, It was 6.8 degrees Celsius yesterday. For tomorrow, the Met Department has forecast a fog, particularly between 6.30 am and 9 am, and temperatures ranging between 5 and 23 degrees Celsius. Some other cities in north India like Srinagar and Jaipur have also seen an increase in the minimum temperature. But Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand are still battling a severe cold wave.
The sunny morning which greeted Delhiites today ensured that flight operations at the IGI Airport went off smoothly. Train schedules, however, took a hit and there were reports of delays.
Responding to concerns about the impact the cold wave could have on the homeless, Delhi Chief Minister Shiela Dikshit said that the city had enough night shelters for the homeless but the real challenge was to convince the poor to use them.
Across the rest of north India, 18 more people have died overnight, taking the number of deaths due to the cold wave to at least 93. 16 people died in Uttar Pradesh and two in Punjab.