Chill tightens grip over north India, trains still fog-hit

The winter chill tightened its grip over north India Friday with the mercury plumbing new lows and over 40 train services affected by the thick fog. However, snowfall continued to elude the scenic Kashmir Valley despite the onset of the bone-chilling period of Chillai Kalan.

As many as 35 trains were running an hour late and two services were rescheduled in the capital where dense fog reduced visibility to 300 metres in the morning.

An India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said such foggy conditions would continue till Feb 20. The minimum temperature in the capital was recorded two notches above average at 6.1 degrees Celsius.

In Rajasthan also at least half a dozen trains were running four-to-10 hours late. The state saw a moderate dip in temperature with Chiru the coldest at 1.9 degrees Celsius, Mount Abu at 4.4 degrees and state capital Jaipur recording 9.1 degrees.

In Punjab, Amritsar was shivering at a low of 0.4 degrees -- four degrees below average, while Hisar in Haryana was coldest in the state at 1.5 degrees, followed by Rohtak at 1.8 degrees.

Chandigarh recorded a low of four degrees, two notches below normal.
Up north, temperatures across Himachal Pradesh were up as the sun shone bright. State capital Shimla recorded a low of 4.5 degrees, a rise from Thursday's 1.2. Keylong was the state's coldest at minus 7 degrees while Manali recorded minus 2.2.

In Jammu and Kashmir, where the 40-day severe winter period, Chillai Kalan, started Wednesday, Leh town recorded the lowest temperature of the season at minus 17.8 degrees.

Severe cold wave conditions set in again in the Kashmir Valley after a respite on Tuesday and Wednesday when the mountains received fresh snowfall and light rain lashed the plains.

"Srinagar city recorded minus 1.2 degrees while the ski resort of Gulmarg recorded the lowest this season at minus 12 degrees," the Met official said.
However, despite the bone-chilling cold, the residents complained of very little snowfall this season.

"I remember my childhood -- long boots, frozen lakes, icicles and tonnes of snow. It is unbelievable to see bright sunshine during Chillai Kalan and no snow, no icicles and yet the severest cold," said Bashir Ahmad War of north Kashmir's Ganderbal district.