Punjab and Haryana experienced severe cold and dense fog, significantly impacting visibility and temperatures. Several cities in the plains recorded temperatures lower than the hill station of Shimla.

In Punjab, cities like Amritsar and Pathankot saw zero visibility, while in Haryana, Hisar, Ambala, and Karnal faced similar conditions. The dense fog reduced visibility to less than 50 meters in some areas, creating hazardous conditions for travel. In Himachal Pradesh, Bilaspur recorded the worst visibility, dropping to just 100 meters.

Notably, temperatures across several regions in Haryana were recorded to be colder than Shimla, where the minimum temperature was 10.4°C. In Narnaul, Haryana’s coldest area, temperatures plummeted to 4.4°C, much colder than Shimla. Hisar (5.5°C), Gurgaon (6°C), Karnal (7.6°C), and other areas like Bhiwani (6°C) and Jind (6.6°C) also experienced significantly colder conditions compared to the hill station.

In Punjab, cities such as Sangrur (5.1°C) and Bathinda (5.2°C) reported freezing temperatures, while Amritsar recorded 7.3°C and Faridkot 6.2°C. Chandigarh saw a minimum of 7.8°C.

The India Meteorological Department predicts that there will be light to moderate rainfall across Himachal Pradesh until January 6. Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh may also experience isolated rainfall with thunderstorms on January 5 and 6. Temperatures in the plains are expected to rise slightly over the next three days, by 2-4°C, but a subsequent dip of 2-3°C is forecasted after that.

This extreme weather, including fog and freezing temperatures, continues to disrupt daily life in the region, urging residents to take extra precautions.