Light showers bring relief to Punjab farmers

Jalandhar, Feb 3 (UNI) An overcast sky followed by light morning showers brought relief to the farmers of Punjab whose crops, particularly sugarcane and vegetables, were affected by the ground frost intense occurring due to the cold wave that was sweeping the region.

The showers are also considered healthy for the wheat, the main winter crop of the state. The showers are expected to lift the ground frost that damages the winter crops, barring wheat.

The cloudy weather conditions led to a rise in night temperatures in the state with the Indian Air Force (IAF) base at Adampur recording 3.0 degrees Celsius. The IAF base had reeled under sub zero temperatures for the last four nights.

The night temperature in the holy city of Amritsar also rose by two degrees and was recorded at 3.2 degrees. The night temperatures at the IAF base at Halwara rose by six degrees and was recorded at 7.0 degrees.

The temperatures in the Malwa belt also showed an increase with Bathinda recording 6.8 degrees last night. The border town of Pathankot however remained cold at 3.0 degrees.

The met office at Adampur has forecast overcast conditions in the next 24 hours with isolated light to moderate rain in the border state.

The night temperature in the Union Territory of Chandigarh also rose by 5.0 degrees and was recorded at 8.6 degrees. The night temperature in Ambala showed a sudden rise of eight degrees and was recorded at 9.2 degrees.

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