At a high of 6.1° C, Chandigarh witnessed coldest day in 30 yrs

Chandigarh recorded its lowest day temperature in 30 years on Monday, as the maximum temperature in the city plunged to 6.1 degrees Celsius. It, however, could be the coldest day ever in the city as the Met department does not have weather records pertaining to the period before 1982.

As per the records available with the Met Department, there has never been a colder day in Chandigarh.

The maximum temperature in the city was among the lowest in the region with even Shimla recording a higher maximum temperature at 10.2 degrees Celsius while in Solan it was 15.5 degrees and 9.3 degree in Srinagar.

There was no respite from the chill for UT residents as the minimum temperature of 2.1 degrees recorded on Monday was three degrees below normal and the season's lowest. As the day progressed, the mercury rose marginally and finally settled at 6.1 degrees, 14 degrees below normal.

Officials at the Met department on Monday stated that the maximum temperature recorded was the lowest ever as per available records. "Records before 1982 are not available. The reason for the low temperatures is the presence of fog and high moisture content in the air. There has been no western disturbance over the past two days. Cold and dry winds are blowing. In the absence of sunshine, the temperature has witnessed a sharp dip," an official said.

This is in sharp contrast to last week as on January 4, this year, the maximum temperature in Chandigarh was 8.4 degrees, the highest January temperature in 10 years — the previous being 8 degrees on January 12, 2003.

The minimum temperature in the first half of December, last year, hovered around 18 to 20 degrees in Chandigarh before it began sliding to 13 and 15 degrees during the second half of the month, which was one to two degree below normal. There are twelve cold days in Chandigarh in December and January, in which, day temperatures are less than 16 degrees.

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