Hyderabad/New Delhi: The India Meteorlogical Department (IMD), in its latest forecast, said the cold wave will abate from Thursday after the cold wave conditions prevailed in several parts of northern India. Cold wave like conditions continued in isolated pockets over north Rajasthan and in isolated pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and north Madhya Pradesh.
Jammu and Kashmir's resort town Pahalgam recorded its minimum temperature at minus 11.7 degrees Celsius and Delhi logged its eighth cold wave day in January on Wednesday. Among other parts of the region, Rajasthan's Sikar, Churu and Karauli districts saw minimum temperatures drop below the freezing point and Fatehpur city recorded a low of minus 2.2 degrees.
In Punjab and Haryana, severe cold weather conditions continued unabated as minimum temperatures hovered below normal limits at most places in the region. National capital Delhi logged its eighth cold wave day in January on Wednesday, the most in the month in at least 12 years, according to data available on the IMD website.
Delhi's Sadarjung observatory, the primary weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 2.6 degrees. The national capital saw seven cold wave days in January 2020, while it did not record any such day last year. The city recorded an intense cold wave spell from January 5 to 9 this year, the second-longest in the month in a decade, according to the IMD data.
In Kashmir, cold wave conditions intensified with the minimum temperature plunging further below the freezing point across the Valley owing to clear skies, even as the meteorological department has forecast rains and snow from Thursday. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 4.3 degrees, Qazigund, the gateway to the Valley, minus 7.4 degrees, south Kashmir's Kokernag minus 6.2 degrees, and Kupwara minus 6.2 degrees, the weather office said.
Pahalgam in Anantnag district, which also serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, registered a low of minus 11.7 degrees Celsius, almost same as the previous night. The minimum temperature at the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in Baramulla district also settled around minus 11.5 degrees Celsius. Kashmir is currently under the grip of 'Chillai Kalan', the 40-day harshest weather period when the chances of snowfall are maximum and most frequent.
In Rajasthan, intense cold conditions persisted on Wednesday. The night temperature was minus 1.5 degrees in Sikar, minus 1.2 degrees in Churu and minus 0.8 degrees in Karauli, according to the weather office report. Sangaria (Hanumangarh), Chittorgarh, Alwar and Anta (Baran) recorded minimum temperatures at 0.3 degree, 0.1 degree, 0.5 degree and 2 degrees respectively, while it was 3.1 degrees in Sriganganagar and 8.4 degrees in Dungarpur. The department has predicted relief from the intense cold wave conditions in the state from Thursday.
In Punjab, Bathinda recorded a minimum temperature of minus 0.2 degree, Faridkot 0.5 degree respectively, Amritsar 2.9 degrees, Ludhiana 2.8 degrees, Patiala 2.6 degrees, Pathankot 3.8 degrees, Gurdaspur 2 degrees, Moga 0.5 degree and Mohali 4.2 degrees. Chandigarh recorded a low of 3.3 degrees Celsius.
In Haryana, Narnaul recorded a minimum temperature of 0.5 degree, Sirsa 1 degree, Hisar 2 degrees, Karnal 2.4 degrees, Rohtak 2.8 degrees and Ambala 4.9 degrees.
