No respite for north India as cold wave tightens grip; J’khand’s Kanke shivers at 2.5 degrees C
New Delhi: Cold weather conditions persisted in many parts of north and east India on Tuesday, with minimum temperature in parts of Kashmir dropping several notches below freezing point, and Kanke in Jharkhand recording a low of 2.5 degrees Celsius.
Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.3 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, down from minus 3.4 degrees Celsius the previous night, with water supply lines in many parts of the city and elsewhere in the Valley getting frozen due to the cold, officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 4 degrees Celsius, the same as the previous night, while Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 6.8 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night’s minus 5 degrees Celsius.
Konibal on the outskirts of Pampore was the coldest in the Valley at minus 8.5 degrees Celsius, officials said.
Other places where the minimum temperature dropped well below the freezing point included Qazigund (minus 6 degrees Celsius), Kupwara (minus 5.6 degrees Celsius), and Kokernag (minus 5.7 degrees Celsius).
The MeT office has forecast mainly dry weather until December 26, with the possibility of light snowfall in the higher reaches of the Valley on the intervening night of December 21-22.
In Himachal Pradesh, the local meteorological office on Tuesday issued an orange warning for severe cold wave conditions at isolated places in the lower hills and plain areas of four out of 12 districts for the next two days.
Severe cold wave is likely to persist at isolated places in Una, Bilapsur, Hamirpur and Mandi districts, the Met office said.
Tabo in Lahaul and Spiti was coldest at night, recording a low of minus 6.5 degrees Celsius, while Kukumseri shivered at minus 4.6 degrees, Manali at minus 2.1 degrees, Hamirpur at 1.3 degrees, Sundernagar at 0.5 degrees, Una at 0.4 degrees, and Bilapsur at 2.2 degrees Celsius, MeT office data showed.
Shimla and its suburbs remained warmer with the state capital recording a low of 7.6 degrees Celsius, Jubbarhatti 8.3 degrees Celsius, and Kufri 6.9 degree Celisus.
Delhi on Tuesday recorded a minimum temperature of 5.9 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees below normal, while the maximum temperature settled at 24.4 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal.
No cold wave conditions prevailed in any part of the city on Tuesday, with humidity levels fluctuating between 67 per cent and 97 per cent during the day.
The weather department has forecast dense fog for Wednesday with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 24 degrees Celsius and 6 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Meanwhile, cold weather conditions continued in several parts of Punjab and Haryana, with Faridkot recording a minimum temperature of 0 degree Celsius on Tuesday, the lowest in the region.
