Orange alert issued for fog and cold wave in Punjab-Chandigarh; Temperature drops by 1.7 degrees

January 8, 2026

An orange alert for cold wave and fog remains in effect for Punjab and Chandigarh today. After a drop in nighttime temperatures, daytime temperatures have also started to fall. The maximum temperature has dropped by 1.7 degrees Celsius in the last 24 hours, which is 6.1 degrees below normal.

The lowest minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius was recorded in Bathinda. A cold day was recorded in Amritsar. Visibility was very low in Patiala, Bathinda, and Halwara, causing significant difficulties for motorists.

Cold Wave Expected in Four Districts

Although the sun briefly appeared on Wednesday afternoon, strong winds maintained cold wave conditions. Today, dense to very dense fog is expected in some places in Amritsar, Kapurthala, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib, and Patiala.

Dense fog is also likely in many places in Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Faridkot, Muktsar, Moga, Bathinda, Barnala, Mansa, Sangrur, Rupnagar, SAS Nagar (Mohali), and Malerkotla.

Cold day conditions are expected in some places in Nawanshahr, Rupnagar, Patiala, and SAS Nagar (Mohali), while a cold wave is likely in Fazilka, Muktsar, Bathinda, and Mansa. However, the weather is expected to remain dry.

Maximum Temperatures to Rise Next Week

According to the Meteorological Department, dense fog is expected in the coming days. The department has issued a yellow alert until Lohri (January 13th). From January 9th to 15th, the maximum temperature in Pathankot, Hoshiarpur, Rupnagar, and Mohali districts is expected to be between 16 and 18 degrees Celsius.