Image Source hindustantimes
NEW DELHI – As 2025 draws to a close, a punishing cold wave has tightened its grip across Northern and Central India, sending temperatures plummeting and throwing holiday travel into disarray. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued “Orange” and “Red” alerts for several states, citing a rare combination of La Niña influences and intense Western Disturbances that are driving the mercury to record lows.
Frosty Records and Bone-Chilling Lows
In a surprising turn of events, cities in Central India have recorded temperatures lower than some Himalayan foothills. On Saturday, Bhopal recorded its coldest night of the season at 4.6°C, nearly six degrees below the seasonal average. Meanwhile, the town of Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh “froze over” at a staggering 2.9°C.
In the traditional “cold belt,” Narnaul (Punjab) saw the mercury dip to 5.5°C, while Delhi and Chandigarh hovered between 7°C and 9°C. Further south, even Telangana is bracing for a rare cold spell, with an alert issued for 10 districts as the year ends.
Education on Ice: State-wide School Closures
With the “chill factor” making morning commutes dangerous for children, state governments have moved to shut down schools:
- Uttar Pradesh: All schools remain closed until January 1, 2026.
- Bihar & Jharkhand: Districts including Patna and Nalanda have suspended classes for younger students through the New Year.
- Noida & Ghaziabad: Orders were issued late Sunday night to keep all boards (Nursery to Class 12) closed, following concerns over dense fog and health risks.
The “Great White Wall”: Fog Disrupts Connectivity
Dense to “very dense” fog has become a persistent hazard, reducing visibility to nearly zero in pockets of Punjab, Haryana, and West Uttar Pradesh.
Gwalior -400 Metres – Major Highway Slowdowns .
Amritsar Visibility< 100 Metres.
The IMD predicts that while daytime temperatures might remain near normal due to occasional sunshine, the “Cold Day” conditions—where maximum temperatures stay significantly below average—will persist through the first week of January 2026.
The La Niña Factor
Meteorologists attribute this particularly harsh winter to the prevailing La Niña conditions in the Pacific Ocean. “La Niña traditionally brings colder, longer winters to the Indian subcontinent,” an IMD official stated. “Clearer skies at night are allowing rapid terrestrial cooling, which means minimum temperatures could continue to drop 2\4°C below normal for the next several days.”
Health Advisory: Authorities have urged senior citizens and those with respiratory issues to avoid early morning outdoor activities. With the rise in heating demand, local power grids are also on high alert to prevent winter blackouts.
As the nation prepares to welcome 2026, the message from the weather office is clear: bundle up, stay indoors, and check flight schedules before heading to the airport.
