Punjab faces icy cold: Mercury plunges to -5 C in Kashmir

New Delhi, Jan 23 (UNI) Punjab continued to reel under icy cold conditions with Jalandhar and Amritsar recording sub-zero temperatures last night as the Kashmir Valley witnessed the second coldest night of the season with the mercury dipping to minus five degrees Celsius.

While Jalandhar's Adampur airport recorded minimum temperature of minus 1.0 degrees celsius, the mercury dipped to minus 0.7 degrees in Amritsar, an official spokesman said.

Ludhiana was also cold with Halwara airport recording 1.5 degrees while Pathankot recorded 4.8 degrees last night.

Air passengers at Visakhapatnam airport were stranded due to fog.

Though the visibility improved slightly, it could not go beyond 3,500 metres. It would remain for another three days, airport sources said.

Cold wave conditions returned to Kashmir valley, witnessing second coldest night after the minimum temperature dipped to minus five degree.

However, the day was warm with mercury six degrees above normal.

The cold wave conditions again froze parts of the Dal Lake.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 11.4 degree, which was 6.4 degree above normal.

In the national capital Delhi the mercury dropped sharply to 5.2 degrees.

Cold Northwesterly winds continued to maintain influence, keeping the minimum three degrees below normal.

While yesterday the minimum was recorded at 6.3 degrees the previous day it was 6.8 degrees Celsius.

However, the maximum was normal at 21.5 degrees.

The Meteorological department has forecast a mainly clear sky in Delhi during the next 24 hours with the possibility of slight fog or mist in the morning.

The cold wave, which has now been prevailing for the past three weeks, is likely to intensify in the coming days, with continuing prevalence of ground frost conditions over some parts of Punjab and north Haryana.

The death toll remained at 180 with no fatalities due to the weather reported from anywhere in the country. Altogether 120 deaths were reported in the cold wave in Uttar Pradesh, 35 in Bihar, 20 in Punjab and Haryana and five in North Bengal.

Churu, in Rajasthan, remained the coldest place for the third consecutive day at 1.3 degree while minimum temperature fell to two degrees in Mount Abu and Pilani in Jhunjhunu followed it with at 2.7 degree.

Cold wave conditions also prevailed in some parts of Uttar Pradesh, south interior Karnataka and at isolated places in Bihar, and Haryana.

Night temperatures were appreciably below normal in Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir and in some parts of Madhya Pradesh, north Chattisgarh, Rayalseema, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and in remaining parts of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, south interior Karnataka and were below normal in some parts of Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Gujarat region, Konkan and Goa and in remaining parts of Kerala.

They were appreciably above normal in coastal Orissa, north coastal Andhra Pradesh and in some parts of Saurashtra and Kutch, Marathwada and in remaining parts of Konkan and Goa and were above normal in some parts of Uttaranchal and south Chattisgarh.

Thay were normal over the rest of the country.

Rain or thundershowers are likely to occur at isolated places in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghlaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Andman and Nicobar Islands.

Mainly dry weather prevailed over the Gangetic West Bengal, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar and Lakshadweep.

The weather in Manipur remained comparatively cold today with a sudden dip in mercury in the state.

The continuing dry spell has eased cold wave conditions in Himachal Pradesh.

The day and night temperatures were rising at several places after recording sub zero degree celsius across the state for over a month.

The minimum temperatures at Shimla and Kalpa in Kinnuar district rose to 3.5 degree and minus two degree respectively as compared to yesterday's 2.8 and minus 3.9 degrees met office said.

The higher altitude areas of the tribal districts were recording minimum temperatures between minus 10 and minus 20 with the met office predicting dry weather for the next few days.

Shimla had received mild snowfall in nine years on December 11, raising hopes of heavy snowfall during the winter season.

The prevailing dry conditions are causing concern to the farmers of Punjab and Haryana as these were not conducive for the wheat crop.

UNI