Cold Wave - IE - 12/01/23

Context:
Delhi and other parts of northwest India have been reeling under a Cold Wave since the beginning of 2023.
The lowest minimum temperature recorded this month was 1.9 degrees Celsius on January 8, the second-lowest minimum temperature in January in 15 years. Fog and low cloud coverage brought severe cold day conditions to the region, when temperatures remained below normal over parts of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.
Relevance:
GS1
About:
->Factors are Responsible for this Cold Wave:
-Large Scale Fog
-Foggy Nights
-Westerly winds

->Cold Wave :
A cold wave is a rapid fall in temperature within 24 hours to a level requiring substantially increased protection to agriculture, industry, commerce, and social activities.

->Cold Wave Conditions:
For the plains, a cold wave is declared when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and is 4.5 degrees Celsius (C) less than normal for two consecutive days.

->India’s Core Cold Wave Zone:
India’s ‘core cold wave zone’ covers Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana.

->Causes of Cold Wave in India:
a. Absence of Cloud Cover in the Region
b. Subsidence of Cold Air over the Region
c. La Nina
d. Western disturbances

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