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Cold wave sweeps Punjab, Haryana; Amritsar reels at minus 0.5 deg C
Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a low of 3.2 degrees Celsius, down four notches from normal.
Severe cold swept Punjab and Haryana early on Sunday, with Amritsar reeling at a minimum temperature of minus 0.5 degrees Celsius.
According to the meteorological department officials here, the night temperatures hovered well below normal limits at most places in the two states.
They said moderate fog was reported from Amritsar and Ludhiana in the morning.
Amritsar’s minimum temperature settled four notches below normal limits.
The other places in Punjab which reeled under piercing cold weather conditions included Halwara, which recorded a low of 0.0 degrees Celsius; Bathinda, that saw a low of 0.1 degrees Celsius; Faridkot, where the minimum temperature settled at 1 degrees Celsius and Pathankot, which recorded a low of 1.5 degrees Celsius.
Ludhiana (5.1 degrees Celsius), Patiala (4.6 degrees Celsius) and Gurdaspur (2.4 degrees Celsius) also experienced a cold night.
Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a low of 3.2 degrees Celsius, down four notches from normal.
In Haryana, Sirsa was the coldest place recording a low of 0.6 degrees Celsius.
Ambala (4.9 degrees Celsius), Hisar (2 degrees Celsius), Narnaul (1.2 degrees Celsius), Rohtak (3.8 degrees Celsius), also reeled under biting cold while Gurugram and Bhiwani recorded respective minimums of 7.4 degrees and 5.1 degrees Celsius.
Churu in Rajasthan reported the lowest minimum temperature of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius in northwest India followed by Sikar (minus 2.5 degrees Celsius), the IMD said.
The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for Delhi, recorded a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal and the lowest this season so far.
Some parts of Uttarakhand reported dense fog. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted that cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are very likely to continue in northwest India over the next three days and abate thereafter.
Dense fog is predicted in a few regions of Uttarakhand over the next two days and in Punjab and Haryana on December 23 and 24, it said.
Cold and dry northwesterly winds, gusting up to 15 kmph, are likely to continue over the plains of northwest India till Tuesday, “enhancing the adverse impact of cold wave and cold day conditions”, the weather office said.
