New Delhi:

A severe cold wave has gripped several parts of North India with Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand witnessing heavy snowfall, leading to the disruption in travel. At least 226, including three national highways, have been closed in Himachal Pradesh, while in Uttarakhand’s Dehradun, intense snowfall has halted traffic along a 30-kilometer stretch of the Tyuni-Chakrata-Mussoorie National Highway.

Uttarakhand’s Dharanadhar-Koti Kanasar road is heavily covered in snow, leaving two tourists from Delhi stranded, reported news agency IANS. Heavy snowfall has also made Jammu and Kashmir a winter wonderland but has also brought many miseries to locals and tourists. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Srinagar is witnessing a minimum temperature of -7 degrees Celsius.

Severe cold wave warning in Himachal Pradesh

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘orange’ alert for severe cold conditions in Himachal Pradesh, adding that a thick blanket of fog is likely to persist over the state. According to the weather department, some parts of the state may also witness rain and snow over the weekend.

“Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir on December 26,” the IMD said.

Out of the 226 roads closed in Himachal Pradesh, 123 are in Shimla, 36 in Lahaul and Spiti, and 25 in Kullu. Additionally, 173 transformers were disrupted, affecting power supply across the state, reported PTI.

Smog grips Delhi

A thick blanket of smog gripped Delhi on Thursday morning as the air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category. The visibility in the national capital also plunged, causing disruptions in flight operations. At least 83 flight departures have been delayed at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) since 12 am.

The Delhi airport also issued an advisory for passengers amid the poor air quality.

“Low Visibility Procedures are in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations are presently normal. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information,” it said in a post on X.

The national capital is also witnessing a cold wave with a minimum temperature of 7 degrees Celsius on Thursday morning. The IMD has forecast light rainfall in the capital on Friday and Saturday and has issued a ‘yellow’ alert predicting dense fog on Sunday.

A recent study has found that episodes of heavy snowfall and rain likely contributed to a swarm of earthquakes over the past several years in northern Japan. This is the first time that climate conditions have been found to initiate some quakes. The seismic activity in the region was surprisingly found to synchronise with certain changes in underground pressure, and those changes were influenced by seasonal patterns of snowfall and precipitation. Scientists suspect that this new connection between quakes and climate may not be unique to Japan. Since late 2020, hundreds of small earthquakes — earthquake swarms — have shaken up Japan’s Noto Peninsula. In 2020 changes in seismic velocity appeared to be synchronized with the seasons. When it rains or snows, that adds weight, which increases pore pressure, which allows seismic waves to travel through slower. From a hydromechanical model, changes in excess pore pressure beneath the Noto Peninsula, before and during the earthquake swarm were tracked. When the seismic velocity observations and the model of excess pore pressure were overlapped, they fit extremely well. When snowfall data, particularly the extreme snowfall events were included, the fit between the model and observations was stronger.