Mercury plummets in J-K, HP; cold conditions prevail in North

Cold wave continued unabated in northern parts of India today, with minimum temperatures plummeting in Jammu and Kashmir and high-altitude areas of Himachal Pradesh.
The national capital, which is all decked up to celebrate Republic Day, is likely to have clear skies tomorrow, though dense fog has been predicted during the morning hours.
Delhi's minimum temperature settled at 8.8 degrees Celsius, a notch above the season's average, the Meteorological (MeT) Department said here.
"The forecast is for clear skies for tomorrow in Delhi. Dense fog is likely during the morning hours," it said.
Temperatures at several places in Jammu and Kashmir were below the freezing point with the MeT predicting extreme dry and cold conditions to continue this week.

Srinagar -- the state's summer capital -- recorded a low of minus 5.7 degrees Celsius while Qazigund, in south Kashmir, shivered at minus 5 degrees Celsius.

Kupwara, in the north, recorded minus 4.7 degrees Celsius and the temperature at the ski-resort of Gulmarg settled at minus 7 degrees Celsius.
Kargil in the Ladakh region was the coldest place in the state at minus 17 degrees Celsius, followed by Leh at minus 10.5 degrees Celsius.
Kashmir is under the grip of Chillai-Kalan -- a 40-day harshest period of winter. It ends on January 31, but the cold wave continues even after that in the Valley.

In Himachal Pradesh, high-altitude areas and mountain passes reeled under severe cold conditions with the mercury staying 10 to 19 degrees Celsius below the freezing point.
Keylong and Kalpa in tribal Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts recorded a low of minus 8.5 and minus 3.3 degrees Celsius.
Ground frost occurred at various places and water pipes froze and burst in the mid and higher hills while thick fog engulfed towns along river banks in lower areas.
There was no respite from cold conditions in Punjab and Haryana with Adampur recording the lowest temperature in the region at 2.8 degrees Celsius.

The MeT office in Chandigarh said that a thick blanket of fog enveloped several parts of the states, reducing visibility to 50 meters at some places.
Chandigarh, joint capital of both states, recorded 8.7 degrees Celsius.
In Haryana, Ambala's minimum temperature settled at 9 degrees Celsius while Hisar, Karnal and Narnaul recorded their lows at 7.6, 5.2 and 6.5 degrees Celsius, respectively, it said.
The MeT office said that in Punjab, Amritsar shivered at 3.1 degrees Celsius while Ludhiana and Patiala experienced cold weather at 8.2 and 8.1 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Light rains in Uttar Pradesh, especially in the state's western parts, led to a drop in temperatures with several areas reporting fog.

Muzaffarnagar was the coldest place in the region, recording a low of 4.6 degrees Celsius.