Dense fog is likely to continue in northern India in the days ahead, leading to a fall in temperatures, while a western disturbance is likely to bring rain and snow in Himalayan regions around Christmas time, leading to more chilly conditions, which are expected to help the wheat crop as well as fruits like apples and apricots

North India has seen foggy conditions only around the last week of December in recent years, but this time, the low-visibility phase began earlier. Heavy fog engulfed northern India on Tuesday, with visibility falling below 50 metres in many cities from Amritsar to Lucknow in the morning, disrupting flight and train schedules and heralding the onset of frosty weather in the country. The minimum temperature plunged 5 to 10 degrees below normal at many places in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and parts of Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, northeastern states, Maharashtra, and Odisha. Bihar, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.

LS Rathore, director general, India Meteorology Department (IMD) said fog in the morning hours and current temperatures would continue for the next one week although there are no current indications of very extreme weather conditions. Northern India is expected to shiver in the days ahead as a western disturbance is likely to bring snow over some Himalayan regions around Dec 24, leading to further drop in temperature.

But on the whole, the India meteorological department does not expect a major departure from normal winter conditions this season. Weather scientists said December is likely to be 1-2 degrees colder than normal, while January may see higher rain or snow in northern India, where the winter temperature often comes close to freezing point in some regions.

"Winter precipitation over norteh India has inter-annual variability. In some years we receive snowfall as early as November and in other times as late as January. It is not a worrying condition," said a scientist. The minimum temperature in the capital touched 8 degree celcius and the maximum at 22 degree celcius. "Under the influence of western disturbance on December 24th snowfall in higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh will take place. It will lower the temperature further," Rathore said.

Low temperature is beneficial for the standing wheat crop which is targeted to be sown on over 29 million hectares. However, potato and other vegetable crops could suffer if cold and frost condition prevailed during December and January. "Prevalent foggy weather is not harmful for the crop which in the seedling to tillering stage. Except for sugar belt in Uttar Pradesh, 80% of the area under wheat has been sown,"said Indu Sharma, head of the Directorate of wheat research Karnal.

Policy makers are keeping their fingers crossed about the weather as food inflation has remained stubbornly high in the country in recent years.

Source - http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/