In this episode of the Skymet Podcast, weather expert Mahesh Palawat discusses the weather outlook for the next 2–3 days and up to a week, helping listeners plan their Christmas and holiday travel more safely.

The episode focuses on Delhi-NCR, where falling temperatures have led to persistent cold and chilly conditions. It also explains how recent changes in wind speed and direction have contributed to an improvement in air quality, and what this means in the days ahead.

Listeners will also get insights into:

• Fog conditions across North India’s plains
• Weather trends over hill states
• What to expect at popular tourist destinations
• Weather-based travel precautions for the holiday period

In this episode of the Skymet Podcast, AVM (Retd.) G.P. Sharma, President – Meteorology & Climate Change at Skymet, explains the science behind the Polar Vortex in clear and simple terms.

The Polar Vortex is a powerful circulation of extremely cold air and low pressure that typically remains confined over the North and South Poles. However, when this system weakens or becomes unstable, cold air can spill southwards—triggering sudden cold waves, snowfall, and extreme winter conditions across Canada, the United States, Europe, and at times North India.

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The episode explores the role of the jet stream, atmospheric layers, and global warming in influencing the behaviour of the Polar Vortex. With ongoing climate change, the vortex is becoming increasingly irregular and unpredictable, making winter weather more volatile across the globe.

In this episode of the Skymet Podcast, AVM (Retd.) G.P. Sharma, President – Meteorology & Climate Change at Skymet, explains the science of air pollution and its complex relationship with climate change in simple, accessible terms.

Large parts of North India, particularly Punjab, Haryana, Delhi-NCR, and Uttar Pradesh, are currently among the most polluted regions in the country, with AQI levels persistently in the ‘Severe’ to ‘Hazardous’ category. Forecasting pollution remains a major challenge as it depends on multiple weather factors such as wind patterns, temperature, cloud cover, and rainfall.

The episode explores how pollution particles influence solar short-wave radiation and Earth’s long-wave radiation. Due to heavy aerosol loading over regions like South Asia, increased reflection leads to a temporary cooling effect, resulting in a relatively lower contribution to global warming compared to greenhouse gases.

However, while aerosols may slightly offset warming, their impact on human health is severe—contributing to asthma, COPD, lung diseases, cardiovascular issues, and nervous system disorders.