New Delhi: A thick blanket of snow continued to cover several parts of the Himalayan region in north India after fresh snowfall on Sunday, affecting clearance work on the highways, while the minimum temperature settled below normal at many places in the plains, and Delhi breathing easy for the second day.
The national capital saw a further drop in its minimum temperature, with the city’s base weather station, Safdarjung, logging a low of 6.6 degrees Celsius, about one degree below normal.
In Jammu and Kashmir, light snowfall continued at several places, even as weather conditions improved marginally, allowing partial restoration of traffic on the Srinagar-Jammu National Highway after two days.
Road clearance operations were underway on multiple stretches, officials said, adding that stranded vehicles were being escorted through slippery sections.
Himachal Pradesh continued to reel under intense cold following snowfall at isolated places in the higher reaches, while the weather
remained dry in other parts of the state.
A total of 835 roads, including three national highways, remained closed for traffic movement on Sunday, while around 1,942 transformers were disrupted across the state, officials said.
The Met office has predicted another spell of heavy snowfall in the higher reaches from January 26 onwards and issued a ‘yellow’ alert for the entire state, predicting thunderstorms and lightning, along with gusty winds, at isolated places. Icy northern winds swept Rajasthan on Sunday, with Nagaur recording the state’s lowest temperature at minus 1.3 degrees Celsius, while Jaipur recorded 5.6 degrees Celsius.
According to the weather office, another western disturbance is likely to become active during January 26-27. Under its influence, light rain is expected at isolated places in western and northern Rajasthan from the afternoon of January 26.
Cold conditions continued in Punjab and Haryana on Sunday.