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Gurdaspur coldest in Punjab at 3°C, Ambala in Haryana at 3.4°C
Chandigarh registered a further drop in minimum temperature that settled at 3.6 degrees as against Tuesday’s 6 degrees Celsius.
The ongoing cold wave sweeping Haryana and Punjab continues unabated, with minimum temperatures hovering below normal at many places on Wednesday.
Ambala, with a bone-chilling minimum temperature of 3.4 degrees Celsius, was the coldest place in Haryana, the MeT department said.
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Hisar recorded a low of 5.8 degrees Celsius, while it was 5 degrees Celsius in Sirsa and 5.6 degrees in Bhiwani.
Karnal registered a night temperature of 6.1 degrees Celsius and Narnaul 6 degrees.
Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, registered a further drop in minimum temperature that settled at 3.6 degrees as against Tuesday’s 6 degrees Celsius.
In Punjab, freezing cold swept Gurdaspur and Bathinda, which recorded respective lows of 3 degrees and 3.4 degrees Celsius. Patiala saw biting cold and recorded a low of 3.6 degrees Celsius, while Ludhiana shivered at 4.1 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature in Amritsar was at 5.7 degrees Celsius. Faridkot and Pathankot registered minimum temperatures of 4 and 5.3 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh have been in the grip of severe cold weather for the past three weeks, with fog in the morning reducing visibility at many places. The maximum temperatures have also dropped sharply during the past several days, further intensifying the cold.
IMD extends ‘red alert’ for 8 Haryana dists
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD)’s Chandigarh centre on Wednesday extended “red alert” for eight Haryana districts, warning of severe cold on Thursday.
As per the department, the alert has been issued for Ambala, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Karnal, Sirsa, Fatehabad, Hisar and Jind, and yellow alert for the rest of the state.
Weathermen have forecast “cold day to severe cold day at many places and cold wave at isolated places” for January 25, advising people to stay indoors and avoid outdoor activities in view of the extreme weather conditions.
In view of the unusual weather conditions and no visible forecast of rain in the coming days, doctors have advised people to adhere to safety guidelines.
A doctor at a flu ward in Karnal civil hospital said the number of patients from all age groups arriving at the ward has increased considerably within a fortnight complaining of runny nose, dry cough and headache.
Agriculture experts have also advised the farmers to take protective measures as crops, particularly vegetables, are prone to damage due to frost in this season.
However, Karnal Indian Institute of Wheat and Barley Research (IIWBR) director Gyanendra Singh said there will be no impact of such severe cold conditions on wheat crop or its yield and the crop condition is currently outstanding with no case of yellow rust reported yet in the region.
