A brutal cold wave has swept northern India, blanketing streets in freezing fog, intensifying pollution, disrupting hundreds of flights and prompting school closures. India’s capital, New Delhi, experienced its coldest day in 119 years on Monday, with the maximum temperature dipping below 49 degrees Fahrenheit (9.4 Celsius), about 20 degrees below the average for December. Last week, the city broke its longest cold spell in more than two decades, with 10 consecutive days of extreme weather. Northern India, with its expanses of farmland and desert, is more accustomed to heatwaves than dangerous cold fronts, both of which have been linked to climate change . Centralized heating is rare in the region, and many ill-prepared residents rushed to buy warm clothing as nighttime temperatures hovered around freezing and schools near New Delhi were closed. Over the weekend, patients with pneumonia flooded hospitals, and many […]