Biting cold wave continued to sweep region

Chandigarh, Jan 3 (UNI) Biting cold wave continued to sweep north-west India today as the mercury stayed low in the region, dipping to minus 2.2 degrees celsius at Adampur in the plains.

Certain areas in the region were enveloped in fog reducing visibility considerably, affecting road traffic. The visibility was upto 200 metres at Sirsa and 800 metres at Halwara while Bhatinda reported mist.

The Met Office warned of ground frost occuring at many places in Punjab and Haryana during the the next two nights.

People groaned under piercing cold wave in Punjab with the minimum temperature hovering five degrees to six degrees below normal at various places in the state.

The night temperature plummeted to minus 2.2 degrees celsius at Adampur, near Jalandhar, turning it the coldest place in Punjab.

The holy city of Amritsar recorded minus 1.2 degrees celsius while Ludhiana registered 1.4 degrees, five degrees below normal, and Patiala showed 1.5 degrees, six degrees below normal.

The minumum plunged to minus 0.8 degree at Halwara airbase, near Ludhiana while the border town of Pathankot recorded a low of 2.6 degrees and Bathinda 1.6 degrees celsius, a report from Jalandhar said.

Cold wave also lashed Haryana where Narnaul and Rohtak recorded a sharp decline in the night temperatures. Narnaul recorded 0.5 degrees and Rohtak 0.9 degrees which were four degrees and five degrees below normal respectively.

Ambala registered the minimum temperature at 1.3 degrees, two degrees below normal, and Karnal 1.6 degrees, five degrees down Several areas in Himachal Pradesh were also reeling under the cold wave.

People in the tribal districts of Lahaul spiti and Kinnaur and Pangi valley and Bharmour area in Chamba district were facing biting cold wave as the minimum hovered below freezing point in these areas. Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded minus 3.4 degrees celsius.

Sundernagar in Mandi district recorded the minimum at minus 1.3 degrees while Bhuntar in Kullu district reported minus 1.4 degrees, two degrees below normal. Una in lower hills recorded minus 1.8 degrees celsius.

Icy-cold winds lashed the capital town of Shimla recording a minimum of 1.8 degrees.

Chandigarh and its adjoining areas in Punjab and Haryana were also under the imapct of cold wave conditions with the mercury hovering three degrees below normal. The city recorded the minimum at 3.2 degrees celsisus.

The Kashmir valley continued to be in the grip of cold wave with Srinagar recording minus seven degrees while Jammu registered 2.6 degrees, four degrees below normal.

The weather will be mainly dry in the region during the next 48 hours, the Met office said.

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