New Delhi: There was no let up in bitter cold wave sweeping North India as mercury remained below normal in most parts of the region while two succumbed to freezing weather in Haryana`s Ambala city.
Dense fog crippled normal life in several parts of the region, affecting air, rail and road traffic.
Low visibility due to fog disrupted rail traffic with 16 trains coming to Delhi from Bihar, Bengal, Assam, Odisha and other states running behind schedule by several hours.
Delhiites woke up to a foggy morning with the minimum temperature settling at 6.4 degrees Celsius, one notch below normal.
The maximum temperature in the city was recorded at 18.5 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal.
In Kashmir Valley, the minimum temperature settled several degrees below freezing point.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a minimum temperature of minus 1.6 degrees Celsius, same as the previous night.
The minimum temperature in Pahalgam, in south Kashmir, settled at minus 7.7 degrees Celsius as compared to minus 7.8 degrees Celsius the previous night.
The MeT Department has said the weather would remain mainly dry in the Valley over the next few days and there would be a further dip in the mercury.
Chilly winds swept the hills of Himachal Pradesh, where all natural sources of water like lakes, springs and tributaries of major rivers were frozen for the past five weeks drastically reducing the discharge of water in snowfed Sutlej, Beas and Ravi rivers, causing sharp fall in hydropower generation.
Keylong and Kalpa in twin tribal districts of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur recorded minimum temperatures at minus 9.7 degree and minus 3.6 degree, while key tourist resort of Manali ?and Bhuntar recorded a low of minus 18 degree and minus 0.2 degree C followed by Sundernagar 0.4 degree, Chamba 0.7 degree, Una 1.3 degree, Solan 2.0 degree, Nahan 3.8 degree, Shimla 4.1 degree.
The high altitude tribal areas groaned under freezing cold wave conditions with minimum temperature staying between minus 13 and minus 24 degree C.
The day temperatures dropped by one to two degree across the state.
