Chill sets in early as temperatures plunge across India

PUNE: An early season cold burst is sweeping across swathes of the country, turning the first half of Nov significantly colder than usual. From the northern plains to central India, and even Maharashtra, minimum temperatures have dipped below normal almost every single day this month, a pattern IMD scientists describe as "climatologically unusual, but still within year-to-year variability". The met department said cold to severe cold wave conditions affected parts of Madhya Maharashtra and west Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday, to be followed by likely cold wave conditions in isolated pockets of west MP on Wednesday and Friday. Delhi has witnessed the earliest drop to single-digit temperatures in 11 years, with the minimum staying below 10 degrees C since Nov 15. Monday recorded the season's