Cold wave, fog continue to sweep north India

Some long distance trains running on Delhi-Amritsar and Delhi-Jammu routes ran behind schedule due to poor visibility.

Intense cold wave conditions continued in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh on Sunday even as the most parts of the region were engulfed under a blanket of fog that reduced visibility and affected movement of road and rail traffic.

HT Image

The minimum temperature hovered between two to four degrees below normal in most parts of the region, the MET office said.

The cold wave conditions had so far claimed three lives - two in Punjab and one in Haryana - in the region.

With a temperature of four degrees below normal, Srinagar continued to be coldest in the hills with a low of minus 5.6 degrees celsius whereas Jalandhar with a low of 0.4 degree celsius was coldest in the plains.

Chandigarh settled at a low of 3.8 degree celsius, three degrees below normal.

Several areas including Phagwara, Amritsar, Adampur, Sirsa, Bathinda and Ambala were engulfed with fog in the morning, which reduced visibility and the motorists had to move with headlights on.

At least five vehicles collided on the Phagwara-Banga road in Phagwara due to dense fog on Sunday morning, police said adding that no casualty was reported in the pile up.

Some north-bound long distance trains running on Delhi-Amritsar and Delhi-Jammu routes ran behind schedule due to poor visibility.