The night temperature fell to its lowest so far this winter in Chandigarh on Friday as the cold wave tightened its grip on Punjab and Haryana.
The mercury fell from 6.4°C on Thursday to 5.3°C on Friday, which was 1.6°C below normal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said this is the lowest it has gone this season. The day temperature is likely to stay below normal, too, it said.
Also read: Chandigarh mayoral poll: Day after councillor’s exit, AAP resorts to resort politics
IMD officials said clearer skies at night was causing the minimum to drop. However, dense fog was reported in Chandigarh on Friday morning with visibility reduced to below 50 metres. Dense fog was also reported from Amritsar, where the visibility dropped to 25 metres. Amritsar was the coldest place in Punjab at a low of 1.4°C, while Balasmand in Haryana’s Hisar district was even colder at 0.4°C.
The IMD officials said relief from the cold is expected over the weekend as sunny days are forecast ahead.
The mercury settled at 2°C in Bathinda, 2.8°C in Faridkot, 3°C in Gurdaspur, 4.6°C in Ludhiana, 4.4°C in Patiala and 5.4°C in Pathankot.
In Haryana, Narnaul recorded a minimum of 2.2°C, Hisar 2.6°C, Jhajjar 3.1°C and Fatehabad 3.2°C. Karnal recorded a low of 4°C, Bhiwani 4.1°C, Rohtak 4.2°C, Sirsa 5°C and Ambala 5.4°C.
{{/usCountry}}In Haryana, Narnaul recorded a minimum of 2.2°C, Hisar 2.6°C, Jhajjar 3.1°C and Fatehabad 3.2°C. Karnal recorded a low of 4°C, Bhiwani 4.1°C, Rohtak 4.2°C, Sirsa 5°C and Ambala 5.4°C.
{{/usCountry}}