BackCold wave intensifies in north India, 2 die in UP, Delhi shivers at 5 degrees in morning
Delhi's minimum temperature was two notches below the season's average, at 5 degrees Celsius
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New Delhi: It was a cold morning in the city on Monday with the minimum temperature settling at 5 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature was two notches below the season’s average, at 5 degrees Celsius, said a MeT department official.
Relative humidity was 97% at 8.30am. Fog affected the movement of the trains headed towards north India. Visibility was lowered due to moderate fog in many parts of the city.
At 8.30am, the Palam station recorded a visibility of 400 metres while it was 800 metres at Safdarjung, the official said. According to a railways official, 50 north-bound trains were running late while eight were rescheduled. Eighteen others were cancelled.
The MeT office predicted a clear sky for the rest of the day. Maximum temperature is expected to settle around 21 degrees Celsius. Yesterday, the maximum temperature settled at 20.4 degrees Celsius, while the minimum was 6.4 degrees Celsius.
In Uttar Pradesh, two people have died due to intense cold wave conditions in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts, according to the administration. A 42-year-old man, identified as Pritam Singh, collapsed due to cold at his home in Wajidpur village yesterday. He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared dead, a report from the district headquarter said.
In another incident, Prem Lata (65) died due to the harsh weather prevailing in Kandhla town in Shamli district last evening. Looking at the continuing cold spell in the region, the district authorities of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli have ordered for schools to be shut till 9 January.
Earlier, five people died following the sweeping cold conditions in the two districts on 5 January. The MeT office yesterday forecasted dense to very dense fog at a few places, and cold to severe cold waves in the state.
In Kashmir, while the bright sunshine provided slight relief to residents of Kashmir in the daytime, Kargil town continued to reel under intense cold conditions with the mercury staying six degrees below freezing point. The minimum temperature fell to a bone-chilling minus 18.5 degrees Celsius in Kargil town on Sunday, an official of the MET department said today.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded its coldest night this winter at minus 6.1 degrees Celsius—marginally down from minus 6 degrees Celsius recorded the previous night.
Bright sunshine during the day, however, has come as a bit of relief for the residents as the maximum temperature yesterday settled at 10.2 degrees Celsius.
While the night temperature in Qazigund, in south Kashmir, dipped to a low of minus 5.8 degrees Celsius, down from minus 4.6 degrees Celsius on the previous night, the neighbouring Kokernag town recorded a low of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius, a marginal rise from yesterday’s minus 4.4 degrees Celsius, the official said.
He said Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 5.5 degrees Celsius, compared to the previous night’s minus 4.6 degrees Celsius.
Gulmarg—the famous ski-resort in north Kashmir—recorded a low of minus 10.6 degrees Celsius, down from minus 9.4 degrees Celsius the previous night.
The night temperature in Pahalgam—the famous health resort which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath Yatra increased marginally from the low of minus 8.9 degrees Celsius the previous night to settle at a low of minus 8.1 degrees Celsius last night.
The night temperature in Leh town of Ladakh went down marginally from a low of minus 16.8 degrees Celsius the previous night to settle at a low of minus 17.3 degrees last night, the official said. He said it was the lowest night temperature of the season in Leh.
Kashmir is currently under the grip of Chillai-Kalan, a 40-day harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum and the temperature drops considerably. It ends on 31 January, but the cold wave continues even after that in the valley.
The 40-day period is followed by a 20-day long Chillai- Khurd (small cold) and a 10-day long Chillai-Bachha (baby cold). The MET Office has said the weather is likely to remain dry over the next week.
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