Cold wave shows no mercy for Haryana, Punjab, J-K; rare respite for Delhi

New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) Northern India on Wednesday remained under the claws of an intense cold wave that showed no signs of yielding with maximum temperatures in several areas in Punjab and Haryana plunging to nearly 10 degrees Celsius below normal, and several water bodies, including parts of the Dal Lake, freezing in Kashmir.

However, there was a slight respite for the national capital from the prevailing cutting chill.

Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 20.0 degrees Celsius, which is just 0.1 degrees above normal, while the minimum temperature fell to 3.8 degrees Celsius, remaining 3.6 degrees below the seasonal average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

The IMD has issued a yellow alert for cold wave conditions for Thursday, predicting temperatures will range between 5 degrees Celsius and 22 degrees Celsius. Cold wave conditions are expected to persist in the national capital, the IMD said.

Similarly, a slight improvement has been observed in the cold wave conditions prevailing over parts of western Uttar Pradesh, including the Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Aligarh, Moradabad and Rohilkhand divisions. However, cold wave conditions may persist till Thursday night, with the possibility of frost at isolated places, according to the IMD.

In contrast to Delhi, Haryana battled biting cold that left locals reeling, with Hisar recording a night temperature of 0.5 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal, the meteorological department said on Wednesday. Freezing cold persisted also in several places in Punjab on Wednesday, with both minimum and maximum temperatures registering a dip.

The day temperatures dipped sharply, with Chandigarh recording a 10 degrees below normal limits maximum at 8.9 degrees. In Haryana, the freezing cold also swept Ambala during the day at 9 degrees Celsius, nine notches below normal. Karnal recorded a high of 10.2 degrees, down by eight notches, while Hisar recorded a high of 13.2 deg C, down by seven degrees.

In Punjab, Hoshiarpur's maximum settled at 8.4 degrees, down by nine notches against normal.

Amritsar, Patiala, Ludhiana and Gurdaspur also witnessed severe cold during the day, recording respective maximums of 8.8 degrees, 9.6 degrees, 10.8 degrees and 11 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperatures at these places were down up to nine notches below normal.

According to the meteorological department, Haryana's Narnaul recorded a low of 1 degree Celsius, and Bhiwani recorded 1.2 degrees Celsius.

Gurugram recorded a minimum temperature of 3.5 degrees Celsius, Ambala at 4.9 degrees Celsius, Karnal at 3.6 degrees Celsius, Faridabad at 4.3 degrees Celsius, and Rohtak at 3.6 degrees Celsius, all up to 5 degrees below normal.

In Punjab, the mercury settled at a low of 3.2 degrees Celsius in Bathinda and Faridkot, according to the weather department.

Other notable temperatures included Gurdaspur at 3.5 degrees Celsius, Amritsar at 4.3 degrees Celsius, Ludhiana at 5.4 degrees Celsius, Patiala at 4.4 degrees Celsius, Hoshiarpur at 5.6 degrees Celsius, and Mansa at 5.4 degrees Celsius, all up to 4 degrees below normal.

Chandigarh, the joint capital of Haryana and Punjab, recorded a low of 3.8 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, on Wednesday.

There was no respite from cold conditions in Rajasthan, with Lunkaransar in Bikaner district recording a bone-chilling night temperature of 1.4 degrees Celsius, the meteorological department said on Wednesday.

On Tuesday night, most parts of the state recorded minimum temperatures below 5 degrees Celsius, meteorological department data showed.

Fatehpur in Sikar recorded a low of 2.2 degrees Celsius, Nagaur at 2.6 degrees Celsius, Alwar at 3 degrees Celsius, Karauli at 3.2 degrees Celsius, Ganganagar at 3.5 degrees Celsius, Jhunjhunu at 3.9 degrees Celsius, Pilani (Jhunjhunu) at 4.1 degrees Celsius, and Jaisalmer at 4.7 degrees Celsius.

In the Kashmir Valley, parts of Dal Lake and several water bodies froze due to sub-zero minimum temperatures. The region is currently experiencing 'Chilla-i-Kalan', a 40-day period of extreme cold that began on December 21 and will end on January 30, when snowfall is most likely.

Srinagar recorded a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius on Tuesday night, slightly colder than the minus 4.9 degrees Celsius recorded the previous night. Shopian in southern Kashmir was the coldest area, with temperatures dropping to minus 7.5 degrees Celsius.

Many water bodies, including parts of Dal Lake, froze due to the severe cold.

Pahalgam, a popular tourist destination in southern Kashmir and a base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 6 degrees Celsius.

Gulmarg in northern Kashmir's Baramulla district recorded a night temperature of minus 3.8 degrees Celsius, while Sonamarg in central Kashmir experienced minus 2.2 degrees Celsius.

Qazigund, the gateway town to the Valley, recorded a low of minus 5.3 degrees Celsius, Kokernag at minus 2.3 degrees Celsius, and Kupwara at minus 6.2 degrees Celsius.

In Himachal Pradesh, Shimla recorded a high of 17.0 degrees Celsius, enjoying a pleasant day with bright sunshine, as people were seen basking in the sun. Key tourist spots, Dharamshala and Manali, recorded maximum temperatures of 19.1 degrees Celsius and 14.8 degrees Celsius, respectively. However, many locations in the state remained close to freezing, with Solan, Sundernagar, Berthin, and Bhuntar recording temperatures of 0.5 degrees Celsius, 0.6 degrees Celsius, 0.8 degrees Celsius, and 0.9 degrees Celsius, respectively. PTI TEAM MPL MPL