Snowfall triggers avalanche threat in Kashmir, Himachal

New Delhi, Feb 7 (PTI) Fresh snowfall today forcedauthorities to issue avalanche threats in Himachal andKashmir, while overcast sky resulted in sharp rise of minimumtemperatures across the plains of Punjab and Haryana.

The mercury jumped to levels well above normal inDelhi with the minimum temperature at 14.6 deg C, sevendegrees above normal, while the maximum was recorded at 26.2deg C. The humidity oscillated between 57 and 83 per cent.

Keylong, headquarter of Himachal''s Lahaul and Spitidistricts, recorded over 50 cm of fresh snow. Heavy snowfallwas continuing in the high-altitude tribal areas and mountainpasses.

The fresh snowfall and storm caused sharp fall inmercury and minimum temperature plummeted at several places inmid and higher hills.

The minimum plummeted to 5 deg in Dharamsala, while itdropped by few notches to stay at 7.2 deg C, 7.9 deg C, 8.5deg C and 9.5 deg C at Bhuntar, Una, Solan and Palampur,respectively.

The maximum temperature also dipped to 14.5 deg C inShimla while Una was hottest in the region with a high of 28.8deg C, followed Sundernagar 24.9 deg C, Nahan 21.7 deg C andMandi 21.4 deg C.

A high-danger avalanche warning was issued in someareas close of Line of Control in Kashmir, even as mediumavalanche threat continues in other areas of the Valley.

With clouds hovering over the region, the minimumtemperatures across Punjab, Haryana witnessed a sharp risebetween 5-12 degrees above normal.

In comparison to yesterday''s low of 13.2 deg C, theminimum in Chandigarh rose to 18.7 deg C.

In Haryana, Ambala recorded a low of 18 deg C, up byten notches, while the low at Karnal was 16.2 deg C. Theminimum at Gurgaon was 14.5 deg C, up by eight notches, whilethe low at Hisar settled at 15.9 deg C, nine above normal.

Narnaul recorded a low of 11.5 deg C, up by fivenotches.

The minimum at Patiala rose to 16 deg C, up by ninedegrees, while the low at Amritsar also settled eleven notchesabove normal at 15.8 deg C.

The MeT said that the minimum temperatures in theregion had risen because of cloud cover over the region.

During the past few days, the maximum temperatures inthe two states and Chandigarh, too, have been settling 4-8degrees above normal.