Cold keeps up intensity in north

New Delhi: Normal life moved at a slow pace due to foggy weather in several parts of north India where intense cold kept its firm grip with Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir recording the lowest temperature for January in last three years.

The wintry chill persisted in the plains of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. Fog affected rail, road and air traffic in the region. The MeT office forecast similar conditions for the next two-three days.

A thick layer of fog blanketed the national capital in the morning and icy winds swept across it in the afternoon. Four trains were cancelled, 22 rescheduled and 30 delayed due to poor visibility though flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport continued uninterrupted.

The city had a low of 6 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 20.8 degrees Celsius.

People in the Kashmir Valley had no respite from the biting cold either. Pahalgam in the lap of snow-clad mountains recorded the season’s coldest night in January in three years at minus 13.8 degrees Celsius.

Leh town in Ladakh region was packed in ice at minus 16.8 degrees Celsius and recorded the lowest temperature in the state.

Kargil had a low of minus 15, Gulmarg minus 11.8, Qazigund minus 2.8, Kokernag minus 3.3 and Srinagar minus 0.9 degree Celsius.

Rajasthan reeled in the grip of the chill with many cities across the state registering the minimum temperature between

1 and 8 degrees Celsius. Churu was the coldest place in the state at 1.6 degrees Celsius.

The weatherman said similar conditions are likely to prevail tomorrow.

Dense fog added to the woes of people in Punjab and Haryana, which has been battling a cold wave, and disrupted rail, road and air traffic in the region.

Amritsar in Punjab was the coldest place in the region at 3.6 degrees Celsius. Karnal recorded the lowest temperature in Haryana at 4.2 degrees Celsius. The Union Territory of Chandigarh had a low of 4.2 degrees Celsius.

Traffic jams were reported at a number of places as people, especially office goers, had to face snail-paced traffic.

People across Bihar, including Patna, witnessed a sunny day with the Met department predicting a gradual rise in both maximum and minimum temperature caused by season change in the next two-three days.