Cold wave grips Raj; Jaipur sees record-low temperature

Cold wave gripped the entirety of Rajasthan with its state capital Jaipur recording a temperature of 1.4 degrees Celsius -- the lowest in 55 years.

Bone-numbing chill continued to prevail in parts of the state with Jaipur clocking 1.4°C on Sunday, the lowest December temperature in more than five decades. Minimum temperatures in most parts of the state have dropped since the last couple of days, with Mount Abu, the state’s sole hill station recorded a temperature of -3°C. Moreover the Fatehpur records minus 4 degree Celcius.

On Sunday the Pink city had witnessed minimum temperatures of 1.4 degrees Celsius of Monday night which was lowest in 55 years. However, a bright sunny day gave a marginal respite to the people on Monday. Most people remained confined to their homes in the mornings and evenings.

The majority of the trains including Jodhpur-Howrah, Mandore Express, Aashram Express and Pooja Express ran late. Similarly, traffic on highways connecting Jaipur to Agra, Delhi, Ajmer and Churu was chaotic due to poor visibility. Worst affected were people living in night shelters and those spending nights on the streets. In its forecast, the Jaipur Met office said cold wave conditions would prevail in the city for the next 24 hours.

The harsh winter also damaged crops and vegetation tomatoes and mustard plantations were damaged due to the frost. According to the Jaipur Met Department, the mercury will further dip in the next two days. Whereas on Tuesday and Wednesday, many places in Rajasthan will witness lightning, thundershowers and hailstorms.