Night temperatures stay low across northwest

Chandigarh, Jan 20 (UNI) Cold climatic conditions prevailed at many places in north-west India with the night temperatures remaining low even as a bright sunshine greeted the people in the region today.

The minimum temperatures hovered below normal at Amritsar, Jammu and Karnal, while they stayed above normal in Ludhiana, Hissar, Chandigarh and at Safdarjung in Delhi.

Certain areas in the region reported fog reducing the visibility to zero at Adampur and Sarsawa and upto 200 metres at Udhampur, 400 metres at Palam (Delhi) and 800 metres at Ambala, Halwara and Hindon. Bhatinda, Pathankot, Amritsar, Sirsa, Suratgarh and Jammu experienced mist in the morning.

Though the cold wave has abated in Punjab, there is possibility of ground frost occurring in the state during the next two nights, according to the Weather Office here.

People reeled under low temperature in Amritsar which turned out to be coldest place in the plains, recording 2.0 degrees celsius, three degrees below normal, while Ludhiana registered 6.5 degrees and Patiala 7.4 degrees Celsius.

In Haryana, Karnal reeled under a low of 6.4 degrees, one degree below normal, and Ambala 6.9 degrees. The minimum hovered three degrees above normal at Hissar recording 9.0 degrees.

Despite sunny weather cold conditions prevailed in Chandigarh with the minimum staying 7.6 degrees which was, however, one degree above normal.

Himachal Pradesh also continued to be under the imapct of a cold wave. Extreme cold wave conditions persisted in the tribal belt where snowfall occured at isolated places, including Killar and Sach Pass. The minimum hovered at minus 5.1 degrees Celsius at Kalpa in Kinnaur district.

Bhuntar in Kullu district recorded 0.6 degrees and Sundernagar in Mandi district showed 1.5 degrees. However, the capital town of Shimla registered 2.4 degrees Celsius.

The Weather Office has predicted partly cloudy days in the region with fog or mist occuring during night and morning in Punjab and Haryana in the next 24 hours.

UNI