North shivers as mercury level drops
Bitting cold wave persisted in north India on Thursday as the mercury continued its downward trend and temperatures are likely to drop further in the coming days.
The minimum temperature in the city was recorded at 5.8 degrees Celsius while maximum at 13.4 degrees Celsius, seven notches below normal. Humidity levels shot up to 100 per cent.
Cold wave intensified in Punjab and Haryana as the minimum and maximum temperatures further plummeted in the two states.
Narnaul in Haryana was the coldest place with the mercury dropping to 2.5 degrees Celsius.
Hisar was also chilling with a minimum of 3.3 degrees Celsius, a Meteorological Department weather report said.
The minimum temperature also dropped in Rohtak (3.4), Bhiwani (4.8), Sirsa (4.3), Ambala (5.3) and Karnal (6).
Bathinda in Punjab was the coldest place recording a low of 4 degrees Celsius. Faridkot (4.5), Ludhiana (6.6), Patiala (6.4), Halwara (5.8), Adampur (6.8), Pathankot (6.4) and Amritsar (6.5) too experienced a cold night.
Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a low of 6.5 degrees Celsius.
The severe cold wave and foggy weather conditions will continue to prevail in the two states over the next three days, the MeT said. The Drass belt of Kargil district became the coldest place in the twin Union Territories of Jammu-Kashmir and Ladakh recording a minimum temperature of minus 30.2 degrees Celsius.
The weather remained dry and cold in Himachal Pradesh with the minimum temperature settling 2 to 3 degrees Celsius below normal at many places, the MeT said. The lowest temperature in the state was recorded in Keylong at minus 14.7 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature in state capital Shimla and tourist hotspot Dalhousie was 1 and 1.7 degrees Celsius respectively.
Severe cold conditions also intensified in parts of Rajasthan with the night temperature dipping 1 to 5 degrees Celsius at many places across the state. Fatehpur town in Sikar district recorded a night temperature of minus 3 degrees Celsius, which is this season's lowest so far.
Severe cold conditions with ground frost and dense fog threw normal life out of gear in the Shekhawati area, comprising Churu, Sikar and Jhununu districts and nearby areas. According to the MeT, Sikar recorded the night temperature at 0 degree Celsius. Mount Abu, the hill station, recorded 1 degrees while Churu, Vanasthali, Bikaner, Ganganagar and Ajmer recorded the night temperature at 1.3, 3.2, 3.7, 3.9 and 5.5 degrees Celsius respectively.