Icy cold winds sweeps North India, 2.6 deg C in Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 8: After last week's severe chill in Delhi, thisweek began on a "freezing" note for Delhiites as the mercury todayplummeted to a low of 2.6 Degree Celsius, the second lowest recorded inthe last five years.

Icy-Cold Northwesterly winds contributed to the chill with theminimum temperature of 2.6 Degree C being four degrees below normal.

In fact, weathermen say this the second lowest temperaturerecorded in Delhi in the last five years, the lowest being zero degreeC last year.

The severity of the chill could intensify in the coming days withthe weathermen forecasting a drop in mercury to one degree C tomorrow.

Meanwhile, visibility levels in the city continued to remain normal with a clear sky witnessed this morning.

Weathermen attribute the freezing cold conditions to the coldNorthwesterly winds, coupled with ground frost experienced at someplaces over Punjab, northwest Rajasthan and north Haryana during thepast 24 hours.

They have forecast continuance of these conditions for the next 24 hours giving Delhiites no respite from the biting cold.

And, even though there was a likelihood of a slight rise in nighttemperatures on Wednesday, the mercury could witness a drop in thesubsequent days with the weather office predicting fresh snowfall overJammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal during the next 24hours under the influence of a Western disturbance.

The weather office has forecast a mainly clear sky in Delhi during the next 24 hours.

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