Temperature drops to season’s lowest in Chandigarh at 5.3°C
Balasmand in Hisar was coldest in Haryana at 0.4°C, while Amritsar in Punjab recorded a low of 1.4°C; relief likely over weekend with sunny days forecast
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.
Girls celebrating on the eve of Lohri in Amritsar on Friday. Amritsar was the coldest place in Punjab at a low of 1.4°C. (Sameer Sehgal/HT)
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.
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.