The weather office on Monday cautioned about coldwave days in central parts of the country for January and forecast dense fog days over parts of northwest and east India for the next three days.

Addressing a press conference monthly forecast for January, India Meteorological Department Director General Mrutynjay Mohapatra also forecast normal rainfall during the January-February-March period, raising expectations for a better wheat crop during the rabi season.

Mohapatra said 2023 was the second warmest year since 1901 as the annual mean air temperature for the country was 0.65 degree Celsius above normal. The warmest year since 1901 was 2016 when the annual mean air temperature for the country was 0.710 degrees celsius above normal.

Mohapatra said most parts of the country were expected to witness relatively warmer mornings with central and northwestern parts set to experience cooler days as the weather office has forecast below normal monthly maximum temperatures over the region.

However, south peninsular and north-east India could experience warmer days as above normal monthly maximum temperatures were expected to prevail over the region in January.

The weather office has also forecast heavy rainfall over Lakshadweep islands over the next two days under the influence of a low pressure area over the southeast Arabian sea.

It has also forecast dense to very dense fog over some parts of the plains of northwest India and East India, extending into parts of Bangladesh, and gradually decreasing thereafter.

The weather office also said that cold day to severe cold day conditions were likely to continue over some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and north Rajasthan during next two days and decrease thereafter.

Mohapatra said the country as a whole, at 25.5 mm, received 60 per cent excess rains in December against the normal of 15.9 mm for the month.

South peninsular regions received 72.2 mm rainfall in December, which was 126 per cent excess than the normal 32 mm for the month, he said.

The rainfall was 191 per cent more in Central India, which received 14.8 mm rains against the normal of 5.1 mm for December.

However, in wheat growing northwest India, the rainfall was 65 per cent deficit than the normal rains of 18.9 mm, Mohapatra said.

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