According to Met department Director Chatar Singh, the dense blanket of fog proved to be a deterrent for the cold wave to hit city residents too hard. Due to this, night temperatures also remained relatively high, he said.

“This year’s winter have been relatively warmer. Rains are, however, expected in the region. After rains, the temperature might take a dip. Going by last year’s records, the temperature had dipped to zero degrees in February. But due to the presence of clouds, the night temperature would rise further,” he added.

Going by the Met department records, the temperature did not take much of a plunge as December remained almost dry. A cold wave is generally experienced after a bout of rainfall. The pattern of rainfall in the month of December has varied over the years. December 1997 witnessed 124.3 mm rainfall with a record of 55.8 mm on a particular day. Contrarily, there was no rainfall in 1998 and 1999. Global warming is also being attributed as one of the causes for the warm winter.