New Delhi: Intense cold conditions on Saturday
tightened its grip on northern India as temperatures plummeted
further in the region, even as there were no reports of
snowfall on Christmas in hill states.
Thousands of tourists were left disappointed as Shimla
went without a "white" Christmas, but the intense cold wave
remain unabated in Himachal Pradesh.
The minimum temperatures hovered around the freezing
point with Bhuntar, Sundernagar, Solan and Mandi recording
minus 1.4 deg, minus 0.1 deg and zero deg C, respectively.
Shimla recorded a low of 3.1 deg C.
Una in Shivalik foothills shivered at 2.4 deg C while
Palampur and Dharamsala recorded a low of 4 deg and 4.5 deg C.
Nahan recorded minimum night temperature of 6.4 degree
C, five degrees below normal, while Keylong and Kalpa in
tribal districts of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur shivered at
minus 8.2 deg and minus 3.0 deg C, respectively.
The cold wave aggravated in high altitude areas which
reeled under minimum temperature ranging between minus 10 and
minus 18 deg C.
Similarly, Kashmir division remained under the grip of
the cold wave as the night temperature in Leh town of Ladakh
region plummeted by nearly seven degrees to settle at a low of
minus 16.4 deg C.
Leh was the coldest place followed by Kargil town
where mercury stayed 11.6 degrees below the freezing point, a
Met department official said.
The night temperature dipped in most parts of Kashmir
Valley. Srinagar city recorded a minimum of minus 5.2 deg C
against yesterday`s minus 4.7 deg C.
In the Kashmir Valley, Pahalgam health resort in south
Kashmir was the coldest place witnessing a minimum temperature
of minus 7.6 deg C.
The renowned Gularg ski resort in north Kashmir was
the second coldest place in the state (minus 7 deg C),followed
by Kupwara minus 5.8 deg C and Qazigund minus 5.2 deg C.
Kokernag town in Anantnag district recorded the
highest minimum temperature but the mercury was still 3.2
degrees below the freezing point.
Cold conditions prevailed in Punjab and Haryana, too.
Road traffic was disrupted at various places in the
region due to the morning fog and mist. Several parts of the
states, including Ambala, Karnal, Rohtak, Amritsar and
Gurdaspur, experienced mist and fog in the morning.
Amritsar with 2.5 degrees Celsius, one below normal,
was the coldest place in the region, a weather office
spokesman said.
In neighbouring Haryana, Karnal recorded the minimum
of 5.4 deg C which was two degrees below normal.
Chandigarh, the joint capital of the two states, had
recorded a low of 5.2 deg C which was one degree below normal.
The weather would mainly remain dry in the coming two
days even as the night temperatures are expected to dip in the
two states, the Met said.
PTI
