SC stays HC order on verandah construction

Fog cover enveloping city through the day turns Chandigarh colder than hill stations; fresh WD to further tighten winter's biting grip

- HT Correspondent

CHANDIGARH: Hold on to sweaters and jackets as the winter chill isn't quite done with the city yet!

After a brief warm spell this week, the biting weather has made a comeback, with the chill set to intensify further this weekend and the coming week, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Residents felt the cold on Friday, as amid overcast weather conditions, the maximum temperature dropped from Thursday's 18.5°C to 15.4°C, 0.8 degrees below normal.

This made Chandigarh colder than several hill stations, including Shimla (17°C), Kasauli (15.6°C) and Dharamshala (22°C).

IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul attributed the sudden chill to fog formation, which persisted throughout Friday. "Fog forms on the ground here and rises into the air, locking the sunlight needed for warmer weather. In the hills, where sunlight is more direct, we don't see the same effect," he explained.

As fog descended on the city, visibility went down to 200 metres at the Chandigarh airport at 8.30 am. Visibility at 200 metres or below is considered as "dense fog" by IMD.

Amid the overcast skies, the minimum temperature rose slightly from 6.1°C on Thursday to 6.8°C on Friday, 0.3 degrees above normal. This was as cold as Shimla, where the mercury read 6.8°C.

Rain on the cards today

The onset of fog is related to increasing moisture in the air, as per Paul, due to an incoming Western Disturbance (WD).

"There is a chance of rain in the city on Saturday. Even in the coming days cloudy weather is likely to continue that will keep the day temperature low," he said.

IMD has forecast a chance of snowfall in the hilly reaches of Himachal Pradesh that will lead to chilly winds in Chandigarh in the coming days. While the WD is likely to keep fog from forming here, once the system weakens, hazy conditions will return from Monday, which, combined with the chilly winds, will intensify winter's grip.