Himachal reels under intense cold with water pipes, rivers freezing; J&K remains sub-zero

New Delhi: Cold wave in the lower hills of Himachal Pradesh forced the local weather department to issue an orange alert on Sunday in Bilaspur, Una, Hamirpur and Mandi districts, while Kashmir, though still sub-zero, got some respite with a rise in night temperature.

In Himachal Pradesh, Tabo was the coldest with a low of minus 11. 6 degrees, while Sumdo, Kusumseri and Kalpa recorded a low of minus 5.3 degrees, minus 4.8 degrees, and minus 1.8 degrees Celsius.

Una recorded 1 degree Celsius, followed by Bhuntar 1.5 degrees Celsius. Una was also the hottest place in the state with a high of 23.8 degrees, down from Saturday's 24.5 degrees Celsius.

The weather station also issued a yellow warning for dense fog over some parts of the Bhakra Dam reservoir area and Balh Valley in Mandi from December 24 to 26. Thick ground frost could be seen at isolated places in the lower hills during this period.

High-altitude tribal areas and mountain passes reeled under a piercing cold, with the mercury staying 14-18 degrees below the freezing point.

Water pipes were frozen at many places in mid and higher hills, as were springs, rivulets and tributaries of snow-fed rivers, reducing the discharge of water, which severely affected hydropower generation.

In Jammu and Kashmir too, the extreme cold led to the freezing of water supply lines and the forming of thin layers of ice on the surfaces of several water bodies, authorities said.

Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 4.6 degrees Celsius on Saturday night marking a rise of nearly four degrees from the previous night.

Pahalgam in South Kashmir, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, registered a low of minus 4.9 degrees Celsius.

Gulmarg, a tourist resort town known for skiing activities in north Kashmir logged a minimum temperature of minus 4.6 degrees Celsius.

Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius while Konibal, a hamlet in the Pampore area, was the coldest recorded place in the valley at minus 6.5 degrees Celsius.

Cold wave conditions continued to persist in parts of Rajasthan on Sunday, with Karauli recording the lowest minimum temperature at 4.5 degrees Celsius, the meteorological department said.

The weather in the state was mainly dry and some places witnessed fog, it said.

Sangaria recorded a minimum temperature of 5.3 degrees Celsius, Fatehpur 5.4 degrees Celsius, Churu and Alwar 6.6 degrees Celsius, Sriganganagar 7 degrees Celsius, Dholpur 7.5 degrees Celsius, and Anta 7.8 degrees Celsius, according to the met.

Several other places in the state recorded minimum temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius.

In the national capital, the minimum temperature had settled a notch below normal at 7.3 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.