Telangana continued to reel under the grip of a cold wave as the temperature at several places in the state fell to single digits. Adilabad recorded the lowest minimum temperature in the state on Thursday at 7 degree Celsius.
In Medak, the minimum temperature fell to 8 degree Celsius, a deviation of -6 degree Celsius from normal. Meanwhile, areas like Ramagundam also witnessed a similar deviation, with the temperature dropping to 9 degree Celsius.
Hyderabad also witnessed a minimum temperature of 11 degree Celsius, along with areas like Hanamakonda. Cities like Badrachalam, Khammam, Nalgonda and Mahbubnagar witnessed a minimum temperature of 15 degree Celsius, while Nizamabad shivered at 13 degree Celsius.
Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) added that the cold wave conditions were very likely to prevail at isolated places in the districts of Adilabad, Nizamabad, Jagtial, Nirmal, Karimnagar, Rajanna Sircilla and Medak for the next five days.
The weather has been constantly on the decline in Telangana since the last week of December, with weathermen attributing it to northern winds.
On December 31, Adilabad’s Arli village saw the temperature drop as low as 2.7 degree Celsius, as recorded by the Telangana State Development Planning Society (TSDPS). Hyderabad has also recorded temperatures as low as 6.6 degree Celsius this winter, beating the lowest temperature of 8.9-degree Celsius last recorded on December 21, 2010, by the Meteorological Department in the city.
Not only Telangana, but Tamil Nadu and Kerala, along with large parts of south India have also been witnessing a steep drop in temperature.
“It is because the polar vortex has weakened and this causes cold air to blow towards our part of the world. Another reason is caused by the western disturbance coming from the North West as a wave towards the East – towards India,” Dr Abhilash S, Asst Professor, Department of Atmospheric Sciences, CUSAT, had told TNM earlier this week.