Lowest temp in CG touches 7: Severe cold wave forecast

Raipur: A sharp night-time chill left dew on the grass at Manpat frozen into sheets of ice on Wednesday, as minimum temperatures fell sharply in parts of Chhattisgarh. The Met centre has warned that isolated pockets of north and central Chhattisgarh are likely to experience cold-wave conditions over the next three days."Dry weather will hold over Chhattisgarh for the next few days, but severe cold-waves are expected in pockets in parts of the north and isolated cold-wave spells in central districts," IMd officials said in a press release on Wednesday. The Met Centre's data shows daytime temperatures stayed mild on Tuesday while nights turned noticeably colder. The highest daytime temperature was 30.2°C at Jagdalpur; the lowest night reading, 7.7°C, was recorded at Ambikapur. In Raipur city the maximum and minimum on the bulletin were 29.2°C and 13.7°C respectively, both below normal for this time of year.With nights running colder than normal, the Met Centre's bulletin underlines risks to vulnerable groups and sensitive crops in frost-prone pockets. Residents in affected northern and central areas are advised to keep warm at night.While large parts of Chhattisgarh will see dry weather over the coming days, meteorologists say night-time lows are unlikely to change much in the next five days and isolated pockets in the north and central region should prepare for the upcoming cold-wave spells.