Winter's grip on the northeast tightened as minimum temperatures dropped across the region. On December 12, two districts in Assam recorded temperatures below 10°C, while Shillong in Meghalaya remained the coldest spot in the northeast.
As per an Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin, the minimum temperature in North Lakhimpur dropped to 6.2°C on December 14, 4.3°C below the normal, down from 7.8°C on December 11.
Residents of Jorhat in upper Assam faced similar cold conditions, with a significant drop in minimum temperature. On December 12, Jorhat recorded a minimum temperature of just over 9°C, 3.2°C below normal, down from 9.8°C on December 11, which was 2.6°C below normal.
An official from the Regional Meteorological Centre in Guwahati explained that upper Assam tends to be colder than lower Assam or the Barak Valley due to its proximity to the hilly terrains of neighboring Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland.
As a result, the official stated, Silchar in the Barak Valley was the warmest place, with the highest minimum temperature of 15.8°C on December 12, 1.8°C above normal. Dhubri in lower Assam, bordering Bangladesh, recorded the second-highest temperature at 15°C, 0.2°C above normal.
On December 12, the minimum temperature in Guwahati, the capital city with a population of around 13 lakh, was 13°C, just 0.1°C above normal. The IMD forecasted that the city's minimum temperature is expected to remain around 13°C for the next one to two days.
The official added that Shillong in Meghalaya was the coldest place in the entire northeast region on December 12, followed by Imphal in Manipur and Lengpui in Mizoram. "These are the hilly locations. The altitude of these places and their greater forest cover compared to other areas are the factors behind the significant drop in temperature," the official explained.
The IMD, however, forecasted no significant change in minimum temperatures across Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura. Dry weather is expected to persist throughout all seven northeastern states.
The official indicated that shallow to moderate fog is expected to occur in isolated pockets across all northeastern states, which may lead to reduced visibility in those areas.
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