Cold wave continues to sweep North India, Punjab's Faridkot at minimum temperature of zero degree
The national capital on Tuesday, meanwhile, did not experience any cold wave conditions and recorded a low of 5.9 degrees Celsius.
Several parts of northern and eastern India continued to reel under cold wave conditions as minimum temperatures further plunged in states like Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand.

While Delhi did not experience such cold wave conditions on Tuesday, its neighbours like Punjab and Haryana felt the chillness.
The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 5.9 degrees Celsius, which is 2.2 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature, meanwhile, was two notches above normal at 24.4 degrees.
For Wednesday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted dense fog with the maximum and minimum temperatures expected to be around 24 and 6 degrees Celsius respectively.
Haryana and Punjab
Winter season in several parts of Haryana and Punjab is being intensely felt amid cold wave conditions, with Faridkot recording a minimum temperature of zero degree Celsius on Tuesday.
Closely following Faridkot was Amritsar, which saw a low of 2.6 degrees Celsius, while Ludhiana and Patiala both recorded a minimum temperature of 4.8 degrees Celsius.
Pathankot also felt the chills at 2.8 degrees, with Bathinda and Gurdaspur shivering at 3 and 3.5 degrees Celsius respectively.
In Haryana, the coldest district at 1.6 degrees was Hisar, followed by Sirsa at 2.6 degrees Celsius.
A cold night swept over Karnal, which recorded a low of 4.6 degrees Celsius, while Rohtak and Bhiwani saw minimum temperatures at 5.6 and 5.7 degrees Celsius respectively.
Cold wave in Rajasthan
Extremely cold weather conditions were witnessed in Rajasthan, with below normal low temperatures being recorded at most places, the weather office said.
The lowest night temperature was at Karauli, at 1.3 degrees Celsius, and this was followed Fatehpur at 2.5 degrees.
Other than these, Sangaria saw a low of 3.4 degrees Celsius, Sikar at 3.7 degrees, Churu at 4, Alwar at 4.2, Ganganagar and Dholpur at 4.8, Nagaur at 5.1, Anta at 5.2, Sirohi and 5.3 degrees, and Bhilwara and Pilani at 5.4 degrees Celsius.
The MeT office said the minimum temperature can further drop owing to the western disturbance after 24 hours.
Winters in Jharkhand
Kanke district in Jharkhand recorded the state’s lowest temperature at 2.5 degrees Celsius. Most districts in the state saw a low below 10 degrees.
Gumla district was at a low of 4.9 degrees Celsius, while Garhwa recorded a minimum of 5. This was followed by Lohardaga at a minimum temperature of 6.3 degrees Celsius, Chatra of 6.4, Daltonganj at 7.5, Dhanbad at 8.8, and Jamshedpur at 9.5 degrees Celsius.
State capital Ranchi registered a minimum temperature of 9 degrees Celsius.
Temperature at minus in Kashmir
The coldest district in the Kashmir valley was Konibal, on the outskirts of Pampore, with a minimum temperature of minus 8.5 degrees Celsius, weather officials said.
Pahalgam followed with a low of minus 6.8 degrees Celsius, while Gulmarg recorded a minimum of minus 4 degrees.
On Tuesday, Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.3 degrees Celsius, with water supply lines in several parts of the city and other places in the Valley being frozen due to the cold.
Other places like Qazigund, Kupwara, and Kokernag, saw a minimum temperature of minus 6, minus 5.6, and minus 5.7 degrees Celsius.
IMD said the prediction is such that there would mainly be dry weather until December 26, adding that there are chances of light snowfall in the higher regions of Kashmir on the intervening night of December 21 and 22.
Cold wave in Himachal
The local weather department in Himachal Pradesh issued an orange alert for cold wave conditions for several places, saying that the weather is expected at isolated places in the lower hills and plain areas of four out of 12 districts for the next couple of days.
The MeT office noted that several cold wave conditions are likely to continue at isolated places like Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, and Mandi districts.
The coldest night in the state of minus 6.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in Lahaul and Spiti’s Tabo. This low was followed second by Kukumsheri at minus 4.6 degrees, Manali at minus 2.1, Hamirpur at 1.3 degrees Celsius, Sundernagar at 0.5 degrees, Una at 0.4, and Bilaspur at 2.2 degrees Celsius.
As per data from the weather office, Shimla and its suburban parts remained warmer with the state capital recording a minimum temperature of 7.6 degrees Celsius.
While the IMD forecast that there would be no significant changes in the minimum temperatures over the plains of northwestern India during the next four to five days.
The weather office, however, said that rise in minimum temperatures by 2 to 3 degrees is very likely over East India during next three days, with no major change thereafter.
(with PTI inputs)
