Northeast: Cold Spell Grips Assam and NE States, Temperatures Plunge Below Normal

GUWAHATI: Assam is enduring a cold spell, with temperatures plunging significantly below normal across various regions since the beginning of the new year.

In some areas, the mercury has dropped to below 10 degrees Celsius.

On January 1, Guwahati, the gateway to the region, recorded a minimum temperature of 12.4 degrees Celsius, which is 1.4 degrees below the normal. In the subsequent days, the city of Assam's capital saw temperatures of 14.8 degrees Celsius on January 2 (a 3.8-degree deviation from normal), 13 degrees Celsius on January 3, and 11.9 degrees Celsius on January 4.

Other weather stations in the city also reported a notable drop in temperature since the start of the year. Dibrugarh, a key city in Upper Assam, saw temperatures hovering near 10 degrees Celsius. From January 1 to January 3, the minimum temperature in Dibrugarh was 10.2 degrees Celsius, while on January 4, it dropped further to 9.2 degrees Celsius.

Weather stations in Jorhat and North Lakhimpur have reported minimum temperatures dipping below 10 degrees Celsius since January 1. Between January 1 and January 4, Jorhat recorded minimum temperatures of 9.6°C, 9.7°C, 9.5°C, and 9.3°C, respectively.

From January 1 to January 4, North Lakhimpur recorded temperatures of 6°C, 5.9°C, 5.6°C, and 5.1°C, making it the coldest location in the state.

In other northeastern state capitals, Shillong's minimum temperature dropped to 5.7°C on January 2, while Imphal recorded 8°C and Kohima 6.5°C. On January 4, the mercury dipped further to 6°C in Kohima, 8.1°C in Imphal, and 11.2°C in Aizawl.

On January 5, Guwahati recorded a minimum temperature of 11.4°C, Dibrugarh 10.2°C, Dhubri 14°C, and North Lakhimpur recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 5.5°C. On January 5, Shillong, often referred to as the Scotland of the East, recorded a minimum temperature of 7.5°C, Imphal 7.7°C, and Kohima 5.2°C.

The Regional Meteorological Centre in Guwahati announced on Sunday that dry weather is expected to persist over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura. Isolated pockets in these states are also likely to experience shallow to moderate fog. The meteorological department also predicted that Guwahati is likely to experience maximum and minimum temperatures of 25°C and 12°C, respectively.

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