Cold wave continues across North India

Cold wave conditions continued across North India on Sunday though the mercury registered marginal increase in some parts including Delhi and Kashmir.

Foggy conditions added to the winter woes with it affecting road, rail and air traffic in some areas.

In the national capital, the maximum temperature stood at 18.3 degrees Celsius, up from Saturday’s 16.9 degrees. Sunday’s maximum was three notches below normal. The minimum settled at 8.5 degrees Celsius, one notch above normal. Early morning fog disrupted traffic and some train were running late due to reduced visibility.

Meanwhile, the residents of Ladakh region got some relief from intense cold conditions as the mercury rose by around seven degrees there.

Kargil, in the frontier Ladakh region, was the coldest recorded place in Jammu and Kashmir with a minimum temperature of minus 10.0 degrees Celsius compared to minus 17.0 degrees the previous night. Leh, also in Ladakh, recorded a low of minus 8.0 degrees, up by nearly seven degrees from minus 14.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday.

Srinagar, summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of 1.6 degrees, compared to Saturday night’s minus 0.8 degree Celsius. Famous ski-resort of Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 7.6 degrees, as against minus 8.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday. Famous south Kashmir hill resort of Pahalgam registered a minimum temperature of minus 2.2 degrees Celsius, over four degrees up from Saturday night.

Cold conditions prevailed in several parts of Punjab and Haryana with dense fog and mist affecting normal life and curtailing road, rail and air services.

Dense fog engulfed several parts of Punjab and Haryana reducing visibility to just a few metres. Many flights from Chandigarh airport to other destinations have been delayed, several trains criss-crossing the region were running hours behind schedule. Motorists also faced a tough time.

Minimum temperatures in the two state hovered between one and five degrees above normal levels. Patiala’s low settled at 10.8 degrees while Chandigarh saw a minimum of 10.6 degrees. The holy city of Amritsar registered a low of 4.4 degrees. In Rajasthan, cold wave conditions continued to affect normal life as the mercury plummeted in most places of the state.