Cold wave persists in North India

North India was under the grip of the unabated cold wave as mercury dipped across the region on Friday with Halwara in Punjab recording a low of 0.3 degrees Celsius in the plains.

The minimum temperature in Delhi too fell to 5.3 degrees against Thursday's 8.4 degrees Celsius due to icy winds coming from the hill states. The city recorded a high of 17.5 degrees Celsius, two notches below the normal.

The temperature is expected to drop further in the next two to three days, a MeT department official said.

Cold wave conditions intensified across Punjab and Haryana with Halwara coldest at 0.3 degrees Celsius.

Among other places in Punjab, Pathankot, Adampur, Bathinda, Faridkot, and Gurdaspur shivered at 2, 1.5, 2.3, 3 and 5.8 degrees Celsius respectively.

Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Patiala braved the chill at 3, 5.3 and 5 degrees Celsius respectively.

In Haryana, Hisar recorded a low of 1.1 degrees Celsius, six degrees below normal.

Ambala, Karnal, Narnaul, Rohtak, and Sirsa experienced cold wave conditions at 5, 4.6, 1.5, 3.7 and 4.7 degrees Celsius respectively, up to three degrees below normal.

Union Territory Chandigarh recorded a low of 5.2 degrees Celsius.

Unabated cold wave also prevailed in parts of Rajasthan as minimum temperatures dipped to five degrees Celsius or below at most places in the last 24 hours.

Mount Abu, the state's only hill station, recorded 3 degrees Celsius below freezing point.

Fatehpur in Sikar recorded minus 1.8 degrees Celsius. Pilani registered a low of 1.6 degrees Celsius followed by 1.8 in Churu.

State capital Jaipur recorded a minimum temperature at 5.2 degrees Celsius.

An elderly person died after he slipped on a snow-covered road here as Himachal Pradesh continues to reel under biting cold with Lahaul-Spiti's Keylong recording the coldest night in the past 12 years.

Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has directed all deputy commissioners and officials concerned to ensure that all essential services are restored at the earliest in the areas affected by widespread snowfall.

The CM said as many as 66 people, including pregnant women, were airlifted from Lahaul-Spiti to Kullu.

The elderly person, Kanchowk (77), died as he sustained head injuries after falling near Tibti Colony, Shimla SP Omapati Jamwal

Meanwhile, Keylong shivered at minus 17.6 degrees Celsius, recording the coldest night in 12 years on Thursday, the meteorological department said.

The Shimla MeT center has issued a fresh orange warning of heavy rain, snowfall in the state on January 13 and 16.

Earlier, Keylong had experienced the coldest night on January 31, 2008, with a low of minus 18.4 degrees, MeT center director Manmohan Singh said here on Friday.

Forecasting rain, snowfall in the state from January 11 to 17 due to two western disturbances, the MeT center issued an orange warning of heavy rain, snowfall on January 13 and 16.

The weatherman said the first western disturbance will be active in the state from January 11 to 13, the other from January 14 to 16.

The colour-coded warnings are issued to alert the public ahead of severe or hazardous weather, which has the potential to cause "damage, widespread disruption or danger to life".

The minimum temperature in the state fell 3 to 4 degrees Celsius below normal. The minimum temperature in Manali of Kullu district was minus 7.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Kinnaur's Kalpa at 6.4, Shimla at minus 1.3 degrees and Palampur at minus 1 degrees Celsius. It was minus 2.6 degrees Celsius in Kufri.

The minimum temperature in Dalhousie of Chamba district was 0.2 degrees Celsius.

Maximum temperatures were 2 to 3 degrees Celsius below normal.

Intense cold persisted in Kashmir with Pahalgam recording its night temperature at minus 14.3 degrees Celsius.

Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 13 degrees Celsius and its maximum temperature also remained below zero mark at 1.8 degrees Celsius.

The minimum temperature in Srinagar was minus 1.9 degrees Celsius, the official said.

Qazigund and Kokernag in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 3.4 and minus 4.2 degrees Celsius respectively.

In Uttarakhand, some hill towns received light rains while the lower reaches saw a rise in the mercury.

Sun shone brightly in Nainital and Mussoorie where tourists were seen enjoying the melting snow. The roads blocked by snow were cleared in Dharasu-Jogat motor road in Chinyalisaur, Mori-Sankri and Arakot-Nakot motor road.

Mussoorie recorded a minimum of minus 0.5 degrees Celsius as against Thursday's minus 2.5 degrees Celsius and Nainital a minimum of 2 degrees Celsius.

In Dehradun, the minimum temperature dipped slightly from 4.5 degrees Celsius to 4 degrees Celsius.

In Uttar Pradesh, Etawah was the coldest place where mercury fell to 4.6 degrees Celsius on Friday. The state capital Lucknow recorded a low of 7 degrees Celsius and maximum at 16.8 degrees Celsius.