A punishing cold wave has started to set in and its grip is now tightening over Karnataka. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a Yellow Alert for four districts as temperatures continue to plummet. This new kind of cold is sweeping through towns including the northern districts of the State now, with bone-chilling winds, dense morning fog, and unexpected light drizzles. It disrupts normal life from above (the northern plains) to below (the southern interior regions).
Yellow Alert and Cold Wave Warning
There is currently a Yellow Alert issued recently by the India Meteorological Department. The IMD has issued a Yellow Alert for Bidar, Kalaburagi, Dharwad, and Vijayapura districts. These northern interior areas are experiencing a "Cold Wave" with minimum temperatures several degrees below the seasonal average. In some of these regions, the mercury has dipped into the single digits, with Vijayapura recently hitting a low of 9.5°C. Residents in these districts are warned to take precautions against the heavy chill, which will remain until at least January 14, 2026.
Bengaluru Shivers Amidst Mist and Drizzle
Right now, the state capital, Bengaluru, has seemed a hill station rather than a city. It has been inclement: for 48 hours, the city’s minimum temperature has sat somewhere in the region of 14°C to 15°C. Added to the chill is a deep depression over the Bay of Bengal, which has delivered cloudy skies and light, spotty drizzles to an urban region dubbed the "Silicon City." And you can see it on a day-to-day basis:
- Commuter Woes: Early-morning commuters and school children alike were depicted wrapped in thick sweaters, mufflers, and beanies.
- Public Spaces: Hotspots such as Lalbagh and Cubbon Park, often heavy with early morning pedestrians (who were usually the ones on foot), had a thinner crowd after the "mye-koreyuva chali" (bone-piercing cold) kept many indoors.
- Visibility: Dense fog has hampered early-morning visibility, which in turn hampers traffic on the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) road and other roads.
Forecast for South and Coastal Karnataka
As North Karnataka faces a cold wave, South Interior Karnataka—which comprises Ballari, Kolar, Mandya, and Chamarajanagar—is seeing mostly dry days with chilly nights. Coastal areas such as Udupi, Dakshina Kannada, and Uttara Kannada remain comparatively milder but a marked rise in morning mist has begun to show up.
The weather pattern which sees foggy mornings plus cloudy afternoons is expected to remain until the Sankranti festival according to meteorologists. Light rain is also predicted for some parts of the South Interior region in the immediate to two days, up to 24 to 48 hours.
