NEW DELHI: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast cold wave conditions to continue its grip over Northern, Eastern, and Central India during the next few days.

According to the Met department, the minimum temperatures in Northwest India are expected to drop by 2-3°Celsius in the coming days.

Cold to severe cold wave conditions are likely to persist in isolated areas of Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, East and West Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha, Jharkhand, and Odisha over the next three-four days, it added.

As per the weatherman, cold wave occurs when the minimum temperature at a particular weather station drops significantly below normal—specifically by 4.5-6.4°C or more—and when the absolute temperature reaches or falls below certain thresholds (such as ≤10°C in the plains or ≤0°C in the hills).

Currently, cold wave and severe cold wave conditions have al ready been reported in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, with cold wave conditions affecting isolated pockets of Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh since November 9.

The IMD has observed that minimum temperatures range from 7-10°C in various regions, including Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, northern Haryana, Uttarakhand, East Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, and Uttar Pradesh. In these areas, minimum temperatures have dropped below normal by 5.1°C or more, creating potential health hazards.