Cold conditions persist in north India, rains likely in Delhi-NCR

New Delhi: Cold conditions persisted over north India on Monday with tourist spots Kufri and Manali in Himachal Pradesh recording sub-zero temperatures and the mercury in Delhi likely to dip in the next two to three days due to light rains.

Parts of Rajasthan received rainfall. The weather department has issued a 'yellow' warning for rains and snowfall in Himachal Pradesh.

The minimum temperature in Delhi was 8.5 degrees Celsius, a notch above normal, while the maximum settled at 8.5 degrees Celsius. The relative humidity shot up to 100 per cent during the day.

The temperatures are expected to dip in next two to three days and light rains are predicted on Tuesday. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) was 345, falling in the 'very poor' category.

Winds gusting up to 25 kmph are expected on Tuesday, likely to ameliorate pollution levels.

Himachal Pradesh witnessed cold and dry weather with Kufri and Manali recording sub-zero temperatures.

Tribal district Lahaul-Spiti's administrative centre Keylong was the coldest place in the state at minus 13.4 degrees Celsius.

Kinnaur's Kalpa recorded a low of minus 6.7 degrees Celsius, followed by Manali (minus 3.4) and Kufri (minus 2 degrees Celsius).

The minimum temperature in Dalhousie and Shimla was 0.9 degrees Celsius and 1.7 degrees Celsius respectively.

The weatherman issued a 'yellow' warning for heavy rain and snowfall for Tuesday. It had also forecast rain and snowfall in middle and high hills of the state till Friday.

The weather office issues colour-coded warnings to alert people ahead of severe or hazardous weather that has the potential to cause "damage, widespread disruption or danger to life". Yellow, the least dangerous of all the weather warnings, indicates possibility of a severe weather.

The residents of the Kashmir Valley got a slight respite from intense cold wave conditions, with the minimum temperature in Srinagar settling above the freezing point as against the previous night's minus 0.2 degrees Celsius.

The night temperature in Srinagar city at 0.6 degrees Celsius was above the freezing point for the first time in recent days and it was 1.6 degrees above normal for this part of the season.

In Qazigund, the gateway town to the valley in south Kashmir, the minimum settled at 0.8 degrees Celsius, an increase of 1.5 degrees from the previous night's minus 0.7 degrees Celsius.

Pahalgam, where the minimum temperature was minus 10.4 degrees Celsius, was the coldest recorded place in the Kashmir valley, while the mercury settled at 10.2 degrees Celsius in Gulmarg.

Leh in Ladakh Union Territory recorded a low of minus 18.4 degrees Celsius and the nearby Drass registered a minimum of minus 27.8 degrees Celsius.

Cold conditions continued to prevail in most parts of Punjab and Haryana with a fog cover at some places, including Ludhiana, Patiala, Ambala, Bathinda, Mohali, Adampur

and Karnal.