Gangotri Dham covered in white after heavy snowfall

Gangotri (Uttarakhand): The mercury level has dipped below the freezing point as Gangotri Dham of Uttarakhand received heavy snowfall on Wednesday. Gangotri Dham was shrouded in white after heavy snowfall late at night.

Even as the popular pilgrimage site, covered in snow, made for a serene picture, the fresh burst of snow brought with it a biting chill sweeping the lower reaches of the Dham. The snowfall and the chill dragged the mercury down further to minus 3 degrees Celsius.

As per the forecast by the Met department, the temperature is likely to drop to as low as minus 9 degrees Celsius in a fresh spell of severe cold that is likely to grip the northern plains over the weekend and over the next week.

Already in the grip of a severe cold spell, there's more bad news in the offing for North India as vast swathes of the region are likely to experience a drop in temperatures to a minimum of minus 4 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius in the plains, according to weather experts. 

The IMD had also predicted dense to very dense fog and cold wave conditions over northwest India from January 15, 2023. A fresh spell of dense fog is likely in isolated pockets during the night and morning hours over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh from January 14 to 17.