Other States - Union Territories   

Severe cold wave conditions envelop Northern India

CHANDIGARH: Severe cold wave gripped most parts of North India today forcing the mercury to plummet from three to six degrees below normal in the region.

Amritsar in plains shivered at 0.5 degrees Celsius, four degrees below normal, while in hills Srinagar settled with the lowest of minus 5.4 degree Celsius, three degrees below normal, the MET office said here.

However, as per weather office of the air force station at Adampur, Jalandhar recorded minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, its lowest in the current season.

The entire region felt a sharp decline in the minimum temperature.

Chandigarh reeled at 2.8 degrees Celsius, five degrees below normal, even as the icy winds swept across the city.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 3.2 degrees Celsius in Ludhiana, three degrees below normal, followed by 3.5 degree celsius each at Patiala, Ambala and Karnal, and 6.4 degrees Celsius at Hisar.

The Northern Railway has set up `Fog Signal Posts' near all railway stations in Punjab and Haryana for smooth running of trains in winters.

Stating this here today, railway sources said railway employees will give clearance signals to coming train drivers by bursting crackers on railway lines when the visibility is low due to fog. Green light would be emitted when the crackers are lighted.

In the hills, after Srinagar, the minimum temperature was recorded at Sundernagar in Himachal Pradesh where a low of minus 0.1 degrees was recorded, four degrees below normal.

Shimla settled at a low of 4.0 degrees Celsius and Delhi recorded 4.8 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal.

Jammu reeled at low of 6.2 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal.

The MET office predicted rain or snow at isolated places in higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh and ground frost in most parts of Punjab and Haryana during the next two nights.

In U.P. the bitter cold has claimed 15 lives so far with the mercury dropping upto 6 below normal and reading 3 degrees Celsius in Sultanpur and Agra today.

Deaths due to the cold wave have been reported from Ballia, Jaunpur, Deoria, Sultanpur, Bareilly, Mainpuri, Budaon, Kushi Nagar, Mirzapur and Azamgarh.

Agra and Sultanpur were the coldest places in the state, recording 3 C, according to the met office. Day temperatures also decreased by one degree in the State, it said. - PTI&UNI

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Stories in this Section

Severe cold wave conditions envelop Northern India

Copyright © 2005, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu