Normal to below-normal temperatures are expected in central India and the adjoining northwest and peninsular regions during the three-month winter season, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Monday.
The western Himalayan region, the foothills of the Himalayas, the northeastern states, and parts of eastern and western India may experience above-normal maximum temperatures, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said in an online press conference.
The IMD is expecting four to five "extra" days of cold wave conditions in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, and some parts of Maharashtra.
Mohapatra said these areas normally experience four to six days of cold wave conditions during the December to February period.
"During the upcoming winter season (December 2025 to February 2026), normal to below-normal minimum temperatures are likely over most parts of central India and adjoining peninsular and northwest India. Above-normal minimum temperatures are likely over the remaining parts of the country," he said.
During the season, maximum temperatures are expected to be normal to below normal across most parts of the country, he added.
The season's first spell of cold to severe cold wave conditions started early and was observed only in isolated pockets over west, central, and adjoining east India, mainly northeast Rajasthan, south Haryana, north Madhya Pradesh, south Uttar Pradesh, and north Chhattisgarh, between November 8 and 18, and over north interior Maharashtra on November 15 and 20.
Another cold wave spell is expected in parts of northwest and central India from December 3 to 5, the IMD chief said.
"We are expecting weak La Niña conditions to continue during the December to February period," he added.
La Niña refers to the large-scale cooling of ocean surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, coupled with changes in tropical atmospheric circulation such as winds, pressure and rainfall.
It is generally associated with intense and prolonged rains in the monsoon season in India and colder-than-usual winters, particularly in northern regions.
Most parts of the country, except for parts of southeast peninsular India, the northeastern states and areas in the extreme northwest, recorded normal to below-normal temperatures in November.
A total of four western disturbances, rain-bearing weather systems originating in the Mediterranean region, impacted temperatures over north India, though almost all were mostly dry.
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