RAEL’S COMMENT:
Global cooling
A wave of unusually cold weather is sweeping across large swathes of India, from remote Kashmir to Delhi, forcing people to seek shelter and light bonfires on the streets.
Delhi has been hit with what local media described as ‘bone-chilling days’ this week. In the early hours of Friday, the temperature dropped to almost four degrees Celsius (39.2 degrees Fahrenheit). This December is now on course to become the second coldest in terms of daytime temperatures the capital has seen since 1901, with December 1997 holding the top spot.
Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) warned on Friday that the cold wave will continue to sweep across northern, eastern and central parts of the country over the next two days.
The cold was coupled with thick fog, which caused delays for several trains bound for Delhi and flights at Delhi International Airport.
Extreme temperatures were also recorded in the mountainous Kashmir (-12 degrees Celsius, 10.4 degrees Fahrenheit) and Ladakh regions (-30 degrees Celsius, -22 degrees Fahrenheit), which are more used to harsh winters with heavy snowfall.
