Chandigarh: Cold swept wave Chandigarh and northern parts of Haryana today with the mercury staying low in the north-west region.

The minimum temperature dipped three degrees below normal at Chandigarh, Ambala and Karnal, recording 5.4 degrees, 5.0 degrees and 5.9 degrees Celsius respectively.

Amritsar coldest

Although the cold wave abated in Punjab, the temperature stayed two to three degrees below normal in the State. Amritsar with 2.6 degrees, three degrees below normal, continued to be the coldest place in the State, followed by Ludhiana and Patiala respectively showing 4.9 degrees and 6.1 degrees Celsius.

However, biting cold wave prevailed in tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh with the temperature falling below freezing point in these areas. The temperature further dropped at the capital town of Shimla recording 4.8 degrees as icy-cold winds swept across the town during the day.

Tourist places of Wildflower Hall, Kufri, Naldehra and Narkanda in Shimla district and the key tourist resort of Manali in Kullu district also experienced cold weather conditions with the mercury staying low at these places. The minimum fell to zero degree, two degrees below normal, at Bhuntar in Kullu district while Sundernagar in Mandi district registered 0.6 degrees Celsius. Jammu, the winter capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded further fall in the temperature to 7.1 degrees, three degrees below normal, from 8.7 degrees recorded yesterday. The National Capital of Delhi also showed low temperature, recording 6.6 degrees, two degrees below normal.

Ground frost is likely to occur at isolated places in Punjab during the next two nights while the weather will be mainly sunny in Punjab and Haryana and partly cloudy in Himachal Pradesh during the next 48 hours, according to the Metrological Department here.

With the cold wave continuing in U.P., two more deaths were reported in the last 24 hours taking the toll to 10. The cold wave claimed the life of a beggar in Govardhan area of Mathura, while an unidentified woman died in Hamirpur, police said.

Agra and Varanasi recorded the minimum temperatures of 6 degrees Celsius each, four and five degrees below normal respectively. Met Office said here the mercury dipped further in Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Faizabad, Kanpur, Agra and Allahabad divisions.

Lucknow recorded a minimum temperature of 8 degrees during this period. In the next 24 hours, most places in U.P. are likely to experience smog during early hours.

UNI

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