Cold wave continues unabated in Punjab, Haryana

Chandigarh, Jan 4 (UNI) Cold wave, currently sweeping north-west India, continued unabated even as the mercury rose in the region today.

The night temperatures hovered one degree to four degrees Celsius below normal at various places in the region.

Cold wave lashed Punjab and Haryana where ground frost is likely to occur at few places during the night, according to the Weather Office here.

In Punjab, the minimum temperature stayed at 2.9 degrees at Amritsar, turning the holy city as the coldest place in the plains, followed by Patiala registering 3.2 degrees, four degrees below normal. The minimum settled at 4.7 degrees in Ludhiana.

Adampur, Halwara Airbase, near Ludhiana, and Bhatinda recorded the minimum temperatures at 3.8 degrees while Pathankot recorded a low of 6.8 degrees, a report from Jalandhar said.

The cold wave also lashed parts of Haryana with the night temperatures hovering at 1.7 degrees at Narnaul and 2.6 degrees at Ambala, four degrees below normal.

Rohtak registered 2.8 degrees and Karnal showed 4.0 degrees, three degrees below normal.

The mercury rose at Hissar but stayed one degree below normal, recording 4.4 degrees.

Intense cold wave swept mid and lower hills in Himachal Pradesh with people in tribal areas facing freezing cold wave. The Kullu valley and the capital town of Shimla were also under the impact of cold wave.

Una in lower hills recorded 0.5 degrees while Kalpa in higher hills registered minus 2.5 degrees. The minimum stayed at minus o.5 degrees at Bhuntar in Kullu district and remained static at minus 1.3 degrees at Sundernagar in Mandi district. The capital town of Shimla recorded the minimum at 3.3 degrees, one degree above normal.

Chandigarh also reeled under cold wave conditions, although the minimum rose in the city recording 4.0 degrees, two degrees below normal.

There was no let up in the cold wave in the Kashmir valley with Srinagar recording minus 4.0 degrees while Jammu registered 6.9 degrees.

The cold wave conditions, prevailing in isolated areas in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh, are likely to abate in the next two days, according to the Met office here. The weather will be partly cloudy in the region during the next 48 hours.

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