Cold wave sweeps Punjab, Haryana

Cold wave gripped Punjab and Haryana on Monday, with minimum temperatures settling up to three notches below normal in Narnaul at 3.2 degrees Celsius, while dense fog disrupted flights and delayed trains for hours.

Though Amritsar recorded a low of 4.6 degrees Celsius - which was one notch above normal, the minimum at Hisar was 5.1 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal.

Karnal had a low of 5.8 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal, Chandigarh 6.7 degrees Celsius, Ambala eight degrees Celsius, one notch above normal, Ludhiana 8.3 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal and Patiala 8.8 degrees Celsius, also two notches above normal. 

A thick blanket of fog early in the day disrupted air, rail and road traffic due to poor visibility, officials said. While flights and trains in the region ran hours behind schedule, the motorists moved at a snails pace with head lights on on roads.