Number Theory: Cold days, warm nights characterise this winter

Data shows that temperatures have dropped suddenly in the last week, which might have created a perception of it suddenly being cold in some parts of India.

Large parts of north India, including the national capital, have seen a sudden spike in cold weather in the last one week. Is this a result of this winter being harsher than usual? An HT analysis of Indian Meteorological Department’s (IMD) data shows that it could be a result of colder-than-normal maximum or daytime temperatures even though minimum temperatures continue to be significantly higher than normal. However, the data does show that temperatures have dropped suddenly in the last week, which might have created a perception of it suddenly being cold in some parts of the country. Here are four charts that explain this in detail.

A man sits around a bonfire on a cold winter morning. (HT Photo)