Cold tightens grip in Hry, Punjab

Narnaul colder than Shimla at 1.2°C; Amritsar coldest in Punjab at 5°C; Hisar shivers at 5.7°C

CHANDIGARH: Extreme cold and foggy conditions prevailed in Punjab and Haryana on Tuesday with Narnaul emerging as the coldest place in the region at 1.2 degrees Celsius.

The meteorological department here said that Narnaul was colder than Shimla in Himachal Pradesh that recorded a low of 2.2 degrees Celsius. Amritsar was the coldest in Punjab at 5 degrees Celsius, while Hisar in Haryana shivered at 5.7 degrees Celsius.

Chandigarh recorded a low of 9 degrees Celsius, three degrees below average, on Tuesday.

“The cold wave condition will continue for the next few days in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh. We have informed the state governments and warned of low visibility,” Chandigarh meteorological department director Surender Paul said.

He said that the temperature in the region is already between 11 and 12 degrees Celsius, however, it is likely to fall further.

“This Christmas, and the following four to five days will get colder and colder. There will be little to no sunlight,” Paul said.

ML Khichar, who heads the meteorological department at Chaudhary Charan Singh Haryana Agricultural University, Hisar, has also forecast colder conditions in the coming week. “The minimum temperature will go down by two or three degrees in the coming week and fog will prevail at night and early in the morning,” he said.

FOG HITS ROAD, RAIL TRAFFIC

Road and rail traffic was affected due to low visibility, which reduced to less than 100 metres at some places. Traffic on highways was plying slow, police said. The Amritsar-ambala-delhi stretch of National Highway No. 1 (NH-1) was affected due to fog at places.

Trains to Chandigarh were delayed by several hours and passengers had to wait in the cold at the station.

Motorists had a tough time driving to work due to dense fog. “It’s become difficult to commute. Driving is risky in the morning and evening due to fog,”says Falakpreet Kaur of Amritsar, who works as a manager in a company.

Suresh Kumar, an Amritsarbased shopkeeper, says, “It’s become difficult to go for the morning walk these days. There are higher chances of getting a throat infection or catching a cold.”

SWINE FLU CASES ON RISE

With the dip in temperature, H1N1 virus (swine flu) cases have seen a spurt. “The swine influenza infection causes fever, sneezing, coughing, difficulty in breathing and people should immediately seek doctors’ help when displaying symptoms,” says Amritsar civil surgeon Prabhdeep Kaur Johal.

“At 3.30am on Tuesday, Amritsar recorded 3.5 degrees Celsius. The extreme cold is a season of the H1N1 virus. The highest number of swine flu cases are recorded in Punjab in December and January. The National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme, Punjab, recorded 1,062 positive cases this year, the highest since 2015,” she says.

“Stay warm, avoid crowded places and refrain from touching surfaces in public spaces. Seek a doctor’s help if the symptoms

persist,” Dr Johal adds.

SCHOOL TIMINGS CHANGED

The Punjab education department revised school timings from December 24 to January 15 due to the inclement weather and fog. Primary schools will be from 10am to 3pm and middle, high and senior secondary classes will be held from 10am to 4pm.

DELHI FACING ITS LONGEST COLD SPELL IN 22 YEARS: MET

NEW DELHI: With most weather stations, other than Safdarjung, recording on Tuesday, maximum temperatures at least 4.5 degrees Celsius lower than the normal maximum temperature at this time of the year, Delhi is going through its longest cold spell in 22 years.

Thus far, Delhi’s cold spell this December has been eight days if only Safdarjung station is considered and eleven days if other stations are considered. In 1997, there was a cold spell for 13 days in December. “Delhi so far has recorded longest and extreme cold day spell in December month, since 1997,” the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday.since 1993, Delhi has seen cold days only in 10 years, and had a cold spell only in four (before this year) — 1997, 1998, 2003, and 2014.

Delhi recorded a cold day on Tuesday also with all stations in Delhi except Safdarjung station meeting the criteria.