According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Gurugram recorded a minimum temperature of 0.8 degrees Celsius as the cold wave tightened its hold on the city, maintaining it among the coldest locations in North India. Just days after Gurugram’s temperature dropped to 0.6 degrees Celsius on Monday—its lowest point in almost 50 years and lower than numerous Himalayan hill stations—residents were still struggling with the harsh winter weather. On Monday, IMD’s automated weather station recorded a temperature of 0.6 degrees Celsius, matching the city’s low from January 22, 1977.
Only three times in history has the city seen lower temperatures: on December 5, 1966, it was minus 0.4 degrees Celsius; on January 11, 1970, it was 0 degrees Celsius; and on January 22, 1979, it was 0.3 degrees Celsius. A large portion of the National Capital Region and northwest India have been affected by the cold wave. At 7.7 degrees Celsius in Mussoorie and 8.8 degrees Celsius in Shimla, the hill stations were noticeably warmer. IMD Director General M Mohapatra explained the anomalous trend by saying that an active western disturbance generated cloud cover over the hills, which stopped heat from escaping at night. “Minimum temperatures remained higher there because the night was cloudy over the higher reaches,” he explained.
Frost (pala) formed on crops, meadows, and car windshields as a result of the extreme cold in Gurugram and its surrounding areas. Site engineer Jeeva Thavasiraj, 22, of Sector 66, claimed that the cold was unlike anything he had ever encountered. “I’m from Tamil Nadu, and I’ve never had a cold like this.” Our feet go numb even when we wear bulky safety shoes,” he remarked. Dense fog and frost made travel dangerous, according to Sunita Devi, a daily commuter from Sohna. “Crops in the fields and the windshield of our bus were covered in frost. Vehicles had to travel slowly on the elevated roads due to extremely poor visibility, she said.
