Severe Cold, Fog In Delhi, North India From Christmas, Light Rain Likely

This year will witness a delayed and short winter, the weatherman said, blaming climate change and global warming for shrinking winters and also possibly cutting short the spring next year.

Delhi and its surrounding areas will witness severe cold wave-like conditions around Christmas with light rain expected to fall over north India, resulting in a drop in day temperatures. The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 4.9 degrees Celsius today, nearly two notches lower than 6.8 degrees Celsius in Himachal Pradesh's Shimla.

Friday was Delhi's coldest day of the season, second only to Haryana's Hisar where mercury dropped to 4.2 degrees Celsius, Mahesh Palawat, Vice President at Skymet Weather said. Temperatures are expected to decline further in the next few days after snowfall in the Himalayan states which can bring rain to the plains including Delhi, he added.

"A western disturbance is expected around December 16 and 17 which may lead to snowfall in the hills and rains in the plains. Next, on December 23, 24 and 25 heavy snowfall is expected to affect temperatures in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, bringing drizzle and light rainfall. Thick fog will likely cover these states keeping the temperatures low during the day," the weatherman said.