Punjab, Haryana freeze as cold wave tightens grip on region

Weather department has forecast that the night temperature will continue to hover below the season’s normal levels at most places in the two states

Punjab and Haryana were in the grip of a cold wave on Monday, with Amritsar and Hisar recording minimum temperatures of 0.8 and 0.2 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Commuters braving a foggy Monday morning in Amritsar as the cold wave intensified in Punjab and Haryana. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)

According to the meteorological department, the night temperature continued to hover below the season’s normal levels at most places in the two states.

Hisar was the coldest place in Haryana, recording a temperature that is eight degrees below normal. Ambala recorded a low of 5.1 degrees, Narnaul 1.3 degrees, Rohtak 2.6 degrees, Karnal 3.4 degrees, Sirsa 3.2 degrees, Fatehabad 3.1 degrees, and Bhiwani 2.5 degrees, while Gurugram registered a minimum of 7 degrees Celsius.

In Punjab, Moga recorded a low of 0.4 degrees Celsius, Amritsar 0.8 degrees, Bathinda 1 degree, Faridkot 1.1 degree, Ludhiana 4.4, Patiala 3.9, Barnala 0.9, Jalandhar 2.6 and Mohali 4.4 degrees Celsius.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a low of 3.3 degrees Celsius.

According to the Punjab Agricultural University’s observatory at the Bathinda-based regional research centre, the minimum temperature in the city has been below 6 degrees for the last 10 days.

The maximum temperature in Bathinda on Sunday was 19.4 degrees and the minimum was minus 0.8 degree Celsius.

Till last Monday, the maximum temperature was hovering between 20-27 degrees Celsius but since December 14, the day’s maximum temperature has continued to fall and hit 13 degrees Celsius on December 16.

Farm experts say the conditions are good for rabi crops, including wheat and mustard.