Cold wave intensifies; Daringbadi in Odisha sizzles at 4 deg

Cold wave tightened its grip over parts of the country today, with the picturesque Daringbadi in Odisha recording a low of 4 degrees Celsius and Kashmir Valley bracing up for 'Chillai-Kalan', the harshest winter period.
The national capital saw a rise in the minimum temperature, but chilly winds made it a cold day for Delhiites.
The city recorded a minimum of 11.6 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season's average while the maximum temperature settled at 24.6 degrees, a MeT department official said.
According to a senior Railway official, 40 trains were running behind schedule, while 13 were rescheduled due to bad weather conditions.

The mercury dropped to 4 degrees Celsius at Daringbadi in Kandhamal district of Odisha, making it the coldest place in the state and disrupting normal life.
Reports of fish and birds being found dead due to intense cold were received from the high-altitude areas of the eastern state.

The minimum temperatures stayed few notches above normal in most parts of Punjab and Haryana. Union Territory of Chandigarh registered a minimum at 8.1 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, the Haryana government declared 15 days winter vacation starting from December 25 to January 8, 2017 for all schools, an official spokesman said.
Cold wave tightened its grip over Kashmir Valley ahead of the onset of 'Chillai-Kalan' - the 40-day harshest winter period - with the summer capital Srinagar and Leh town recording the coldest night of the season.

Chillai-Kalan, considered the harshest period of winter when the chances of snowfall are most frequent and maximum, will begin tomorrow.
Srinagar recorded a low of minus 5.5 degrees Celsius last night, down over a degree from the previous night's minus 4.2 degrees Celsius, an official of the MET department here said.
Leh, in Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir, also recorded the coldest night of the season as the mercury there settled at a low of minus 14 degrees Celsius- down from the previous night's minus 13.8 degrees Celsius.
Rajasthan experience a dry day with Churu district recording the lowest temperature of 4.2 degrees Celsius.

The weather remained warm in Bihar for the fourth consecutive day.
"There is no possibility of any change in prevailing sunny weather conditions in major parts of the state. North westerly and dry and cold wind is blowing in the state... It is expected that minimum temperature may witness decline by one degree Celsius in Patna in next one or two days," a Patna MeT official said.
Patna recorded a maximum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius and the minimum at 11 degrees Celsius.