Chandigarh just 3 degrees away from freezing
Night temperature falls to 3.2°C; airport observatory records 1.8°C; will drop further, says weatherman.
The city shivered as the mercury dropped to 3.2°C on Friday night.
It was the coldest night of the season. Moreover, the airport observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 1.8°C.
The temperature, which was three notches below normal, dipped by two degrees as compared to the previous night.
The weatherman said it is likely to dip further.
“Cold wave conditions are likely to persist for the next five days,” said Surender Paul, director of the meteorological department’s local centre. “The night temperature is likely to dip further by a degree or two, while the day temperature is likely to remain the same.”
However, at 3.2°C, the minimum temperature is still above 0.7°C, recorded in January last year.
In the past, the mercury has even dropped to zero degree: January 28, 1973; January 6, 2007; and January 24, 2008.
Meanwhile, contrary to the night temperature, the day temperature has witnessed a rise in the city. It was 17.3°C on Saturday, up from 13.3°C the previous day. However, it was still three degrees below normal.
2 flights cancelled, 16 delayed
Dense fog and low visibility in the morning continued to affect air operations for sixth consecutive day.
Two flights were grounded while 16 were delayed as the operations commenced after 12pm at Chandigarh International Airport.
The weatherman said dense fog will persist for the next five days.
Indigo’s Delhi flight at 8am and Air India’s at 10.15am were the two grounded.
Meanwhile, all five flights of Jet Airways were behind scheduled. Its Jaipur flight scheduled at 11.15am departed at 2pm while its Delhi flights at 10am and 11am were delayed by three hours. The Mumbai flight at 12.25pm was also late by an hour and 40 minutes.
Indigo’s three flights were also delayed by an hour, including its Mumbai flights at 12.15pm and 2.35pm.
Spicejet’s three flights, including Delhi to Srinagar via Chandigarh, departed two hours late.
Air Vistara’s Delhi flight at 12.15 pm could take off at 3.35pm, while its Mumbai flight left little before 4pm.
Air Asia’s lone flights to Bengaluru and Mumbai took off two hours late while Go Air’s Mumbai flight was delayed by an hour.
17 trains delayed
Fog also hit rail services in the region. Of 56 trains scheduled to arrive at the Chandigarh railway station, 17 were late on Saturday.
The morning Shatabdi from Delhi, which arrives here at 11.05am, was late by two hours. The evening Shatabdi was also 37 minutes late.
Meanwhile, the Lucknow - Chandigarh Sadbhavna Express was delayed by over five hours.