Cold wave intensifies in North India

New Delhi, Jan 12 (UNI) The cold wave, continued to torment people in North-West India today following a further fall in night temperature with Adampur in Punjab recording minus 1.4 degree celsius.

The unprecedented cold wave has so far claimed 109 lives in Uttar Pradesh, 19 in Punjab and Haryana, 35 in Bihar and five in North Bengal taking the nationwide toll to 168.

Certain areas in the NorthWest region were enveloped in thick fog reducing visibility to zero at Udhampur, Halwara and Sarsawa and upto 100 metres at Adampur, 200 metres at Hindon, 300 metres at Ambala, 400 metres at Amritsar, 500 metres at Palam (Delhi) and 600 metres at Sirsa.

A piercing cold wave also lashed Punjab with Adampur, near Jalandhar, continuing to be the coldest place in the plains, recording minus 1.4 degrees. People groaned under an intense cold wave at Ludhiana where the minimum dipped to minus 1.0 degrees, seven degrees below normal.

Amritsar and Patiala were also under the impact of a severe cold wave with minimum temperatures plummeting to 0.1 and 1.6 degrees respectively, five degrees below normal.

Cold wave also swept Haryana with the minimum temperatures declining by four to six degrees below normal.

A Cold wave persisted in Himachal Pradesh with tribal areas experiencing extreme cold wave conditions following further fall in the mercury. Kalpa in Kinnuar district recorded a night temperature of minus 6.9 degrees.

Cold wave conditions prevailed in Mandi, Kullu and Kangra districts.

Cold winds lashed Shimla with the night temperature dropping to 1.0 degree from 2.3 degrees recorded yesterday.

Chandigarh and its adjoining areas in Punjab and Haryana also reeled under intense cold wave even as the minimum slightly rose to 2.4 degrees.

The entire Kashmir valley continued to be in the grip of a severe cold wave with Srinagar recording minus 4.2 degrees.

Rajasthan's only hill station Mount Abu was freezing cold at minus 2 degrees today.

Mount Abu's residents woke up to snow-covered mountains and fields, making the hill station more scenic. Even water in the tanks froze due to biting cold and accompanying cold winds.

Crops like cummin, mustard, vegetables and gram are likely to be affected due to ground frost in the state's northern and western regions.

Jaipur recorded 4 degree today as biting cold continues in the state.

After a slight let-up in the severe cold yesterday, Delhi again witnessed chill in the air as the mercury touched 4.8 degrees today.

As the cold Northwesterly winds maintained an intense chill in the air, the minimum was recorded two degrees below normal.

The minimum was 5.2 degrees yesterday.

''The mercury will hover around 4 degrees over the next 24 hours,''the Met department said.

Kolkata experienced a cold and foggy morning with the minimum temperature hovering around 12.1 degrees.

Today's maximum temperature was recorded at 26.2 degree.

The mercury dipped further in Manipur with the minimum temperature at 4.1 degrees in Imphal.

UNI