Cold wave continues as mercury dips to minus 4.0 deg in Kashmir

New Delhi, Jan 17 (UNI) The piercing cold wave persisted in the North West region with the mercury dipping to minus 4.0 degree celsius in Kashmir today.

The Weather office here said the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 4.0 degree while the maximum stood at 8.9 degree in Kashmir.

The Valley recorded the coldest night of the season so far on Sunday when the minimum temperature plummeted to minus 6.1 degree due to which a major portion of Dal Lake froze.

Bone chilling cold with a very blustery wind has made the weather all the much colder in entire Kashmir over the past few days.

In Jammu, the minimum temperature was recorded at 5.7 degree while the maximum was at 20.0 degree.

The nationwide toll has now gone up to 179 as two more lives were lost in Uttar Pradesh in the past 24 hours. The death toll in UP has mounted to 120.

Certain areas in the Northwest region were shrouded in thick fog which reduced visibility to zero at Adampur and upto 600 metres at Sarsawa, 800 metres at Hindon, and 900 metres at Palam (Delhi).

Amritsar reeled under severe cold wave following further fall in the minimum temperature hovering six degrees below normal. The mercury also stayed two degrees below normal at Patiala, recording 5.0 degrees and settled at 5.8 degrees at Ludhiana.

The cold wave conditions prevailing in some parts of Punjab and Himachal Pradesh are likely to abate during the next two days.

In Haryana, where the cold wave abated yesterday, the temperatures continued to stay low, hovering one degree below normal at Karnal and Ambala, respectively recording 5.7 degrees and 5.8 degrees.

Hissar registered 7.1 degrees celsius, one degree above normal.

Cold wave conditions prevailed in Chandigarh and its adjoining areas despite a rise in the minimum temperature by two degrees. The city recorded the minimum at 6.0 degrees against 4.0 degrees recorded yesterday.

Himachal Pradesh continued to be under the impact of cold wave conditions with the entire tribal belt facing extreme cold conditions following further fall in the mercury. Kalpa in tribal Kinnaur district also recorded a further decline in the minimum temperature to minus 7.0 degrees from minus 6.1 degrees recorded yesterday.

The minimum temperature at Shimla dropped marginally to 2.2 degrees from yesterday's 2.7 degree.

Strong icy winds were blowing across the state capital..

Cold Northerly winds continued to send Delhiites "in a shiver" today despite a slight rise in mercury to 5.1 degree even as weatherman forecast some relief in the next two days from the cold wave sweeping the capital over the past two weeks.

The minimum temperature rose from 4.5 Degree C yesterday, to 5.1 Degree C today yet, it still remained one degree below normal. The cold Northerly winds maintained the chill in the air.

Visibility levels in Delhi, however, continued to remain normal with just a slight fog witnessed this morning.

The cold wave due to the northern wind is continuing in Rajasthan with Churu remaining the coldest place at 3 degree.

The mercury has dropped further in Manipur with cold winds blowing and people staying indoors.

The weather condition in Sikkim and its surrounding areas improved slightly with a rise in minimum and maximum temperature.

UNI