New Delhi: Large swathes of North India bore the brunt of cold wave and icy winds as temperature in several parts of the region breached the sub-zero level, with Leh in Jammu and Kashmir witnessing the coldest day of the season.
In the national capital, it was a clear sky but chilly day as icy winds brought the temperature down.
The maximum temperature was at 20.6 degrees Celsius while the minimum was recorded at 6.2 degrees Celsius, two degrees below the normal level, the Meteorological department said.
In Jammu and Kashmir the cold further tightened its grip.
Mercury plummeted by eight degrees in Leh in Ladakh region to register the season`s lowest temperature and most parts of the Valley froze in sub-zero temperatures.
Leh recorded a minimum temperature of minus 14.1 degree Celsius last night, against minus 6.3 deg C the previous night, an official of the MeT Department here said.
Srinagar, the summer capital of the state, recorded a low of 1.8 deg C, over a degree up from 0.6 deg C the previous night.
The mercury in Pahalgam hill resort, which serves as a base camp during the annual Amarnath yatra, settled at a low of minus 2.4 deg C.
In Uttar Pradesh, mercury continued its downward slide with Najibabad in Bijnor district recording the lowest night temperature of the season at 1.8 deg C.
Freezing cold wave swept most parts of Punjab and Haryana as minimum temperature dipped further. Adampur in Jalandhar district reeled at minus 1.2 deg C.
Amritsar, too, braved a cold night at 2.2 deg C.
Piercing cold also intensified across Haryana, with Narnaul turning out to be the coldest place in the state at a minimum of 1.8 deg C.
Chandigarh recorded a low of 5.8 deg C.
Most parts of Himachal Pradesh, including the valleys and foothills, reeled under biting cold wave conditions as mercury hovered around freezing point at several places.
The mercury dipped to 2.3 deg C at Shimla and Una while Palampur recorded minimum temperature at 3.0 deg C.
All natural sources of water in high altitude tribal areas were frozen for past one month, drastically reducing the discharge of water in snowfed Sutlej, Beas and Ravi Rivers, reducing the Hydropower generation to 25 percent.
