Cold conditions prevail in Rajasthan; light rain forecast for today

Jaipur, Dec 31 (IANS) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted light rain or drizzle in some areas of Bikaner, Jaipur and Bharatpur divisions of Rajasthan on Wednesday.

A weather alert has been issued for several parts of the state due to the influence of an active Western Disturbance.

The department has also forecast light rainfall in some areas of the Bikaner, Jaipur and Bharatpur divisions on Thursday.

Weather conditions are expected to turn dry again across the state from January 2 onwards.

Dense fog is likely to affect parts of northern and western Rajasthan between January 1 and January 3, affecting visibility during morning hours.

A cold wave is also expected in the Shekhawati region from January 2 to January 4. During this period, minimum temperatures may drop sharply to between 2 and 4 degrees Celsius, the Meteorological Department said.

Meanwhile, Jaisalmer received its first winter rain of the season on Wednesday morning. Also, light cloud cover prevailed in Jaipur, Alwar, Dausa and adjoining areas since early morning.

Fog was also reported from Sikar, Jaipur, Alwar, Dausa and Bharatpur on Wednesday morning, leading to reduced visibility and causing inconvenience to commuters in several places.

Light fog was observed in a few districts of eastern and northern Rajasthan during the last 24 hours. However, a slight rise in temperatures was recorded as cold winds weakened. In Fatehpur (Sikar), weather conditions changed due to continuous cloud cover. The minimum temperature on Wednesday was recorded at 6.4 degrees Celsius, around 3 degrees higher than Tuesday's 3.4 degrees Celsius.

Although most cities across Rajasthan witnessed sunshine on Tuesday, cold conditions persisted, and maximum temperatures remained below 30 degrees Celsius. Chittorgarh recorded the highest maximum temperature of the day at 29 degrees Celsius, followed by Barmer at 28.2 degrees, Jaisalmer at 27.6 degrees, and Jaipur at 24 degrees Celsius.