Nation continued to reel under low temperatures, with continued foggy conditions in some parts of the central and western Tarai, increasing the chances of a cold wave this winter, weathermen say.

The entry of western disturbance, a weather phenomenon responsible for winter rains in Nepal, brought scattered rains in the plains and rain accompanied with snowfall in the hilly and mountainous areas since Tuesday.

“We have not issued an alert so far for a cold wave that grips the Tarai districts under extreme cold conditions every winter. But if the foggy condition in the Tarai continues until Friday, the cold wave condition will be experienced for the first time this winter,” said Raju Pradhananga, a meteorologist at the Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD).

“Weather started improving in the West on Thursday afternoon but the cloudy condition is prevalent in some hilly areas in the central and eastern regions.”

Due to the presence of moisture in the air created by scattered rains on Tuesday and Wednesday, many areas in the plains witnessed prolonged foggy condition on Thursday. A cold wave begins if this situation continues for 24 hours. The MFD forecasts cold weather for the next two days or three, though the western disturbance has already exited from Nepal. At 19 millimetres, Biratnagar recorded the highest rainfall on Thursday, followed by Janakpur and Dharan where rainfall was measured at 12.4mm and 9.2mm respectively. Among the MFD’s 20 meteorological stations, Jumla recorded the lowest temperature at minus 10.4 degrees Celsius.