Cold wave on in plains of north, temperature increases in Kashmir

New Delhi, Jan 21 (UNI) Cold climatic conditions prevailed at many places in north-west India and Rajasthan while temperature increased in Kashmir.

In Punjab, the minimum temperatures hovered below normal at Amritsar, Ludhiana, Ambala and Karnal. The cold wave which had abated yesterday, again took a firm grip in Punjab.

In Ludhiana the night temperature fell by three degrees and was recoded at 3.0 degrees, three degrees below normal while at Patiala it fell by three degrees and was recorded at 4.6 degrees, two degrees below normal. There is possibility of ground frost occuring in the state during the next two nights, according to the Weather Office in Chandigarh.

In Himachal Pradesh the cold wave continued with Kalpa in the tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.6 degrees. Bhuntar in Kullu district recorded minus 0.2 degrees and Sundernagar in Mandi district showed 1.0 degrees. The capital town of Shimla registered 1.7 degrees celsius.

In Haryana, Narnaul was the coldest place at 4.0 degrees, while Karnal was also cold at 4.4 degrees, three degrees below normal.In Ambala the minimum was recorded at 5.5 degrees, two degrees below normal while nights in Hisar were slightly warm at 7.9 degrees, but still two degrees below normal.

In Rajasthan, the clearing of the overcast sky at some places, lowered the temperature by a few degrees.

Churu was the coldest place in the state with 1.5 degree Celsius while state capital Jaipur recorded 6.1 degrees C.

According to weatherman temperature recorded a drop in many places though cloudy sky gave way to clear sky. Pilani in Jhunjhunu distrcit recorded 4, Bikaneer and Ganganagar 7, Bhilwara 8, Udaipur and Jaisalmer 9, Jodhpur,Barmer, Sawai Madhopur and Bharatpur 10, Ajmer 11, Bundi and Kota 13, Jhalawar 14, Rawatbhatta 15 degree Celsius.

Cold North Westerly winds led to a sharp drop in mercury in the national capital.

Cold winds brought down the minimum temperature to 6.8 degrees from 8.2 degrees yesterday. The maximum also dropped to 20.3 degrees from 21.4 degrees yesterday.

Meanwhile, visibility levels in the city continued to remain normal with only a slight mist witnessed this morning.

Delhi has been experiencing a severe chill for the past three weeks with minimum temperatures during the previous Sunday hovering around the five degrees Celsius mark.

The coming week too could witness an intensification of the chill with the weathermen forecasting a fall in night temperatures by one to two degrees over the plains of North West India during the next one or two days.

The weather office has forecast a drop in minimuim temperature to five degrees C tomorrow.

In Jammu and Kashmir, mercury has increased in the valley with the minimum temperature being recorded at minus 2.2 degree.

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

Weather office here said the minimum temperature in Srinagar and adjoining areas was recorded at minus 2.2 degree while the maximum stood at 11.2 degree.

In Jammu, the minimum temperature was recorded at 5.3 degree while the maximum was at 19.7 degree.

UNI