Rains bring respite from piercing cold wave in north

There was some respite from biting cold wave conditions in vast swathes of north India today as mild rains and heavily overcast skies pushed up minimum temperatures by several notches, even as parts of Himachal Pradesh shivered following a fresh spell of snowfall.
In the national capital, the minimum temperature rose by seven notches settling above the season's average at 13.8 degrees Celsius and reducing the gap with the maximum to three degrees, resulting in a considerably warmer day for Delhiites.
The maximum temperature in Delhi settled four notches below the normal at 16.8 degrees Celsius. Foggy conditions prevailed in several parts of the city.

According to a Northern Railway official, 41 trains coming to the capital were running late, four were rescheduled and Purba Express was cancelled. However, flight operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here were smooth.
Similar weather conditions prevailed in Punjab and Haryana, where too the gap between minimum and maximum temperatures reduced in several parts following rains.
The Union territory of Chandigarh recorded a minimum of 12 degrees Celsius, seven notches above normal, while the maximum settled at 15.7 degrees, five points below normal.

In Haryana, Ambala received rainfall of 11.5 mm while it recorded a low at 11.8 degrees Celsius, up by six notches. The maximum stood at 15.1 degrees.

In Punjab, Amritsar registered the lowest minimum in the region at 4.8 degrees Celsius. Ludhiana and Patiala received rains of 2.6 and 2.2 mm while the minimum temperatures were recorded at 11.9 and 12.7 degrees Celsius, respectively.
In Rajasthan too, minimum temperatures increased by a few notches in various parts with Sriganganganagar recording the state's lowest temperature at 7 degrees Celsius.
In state capital Jaipur, the mercury settled at 13.2 degrees Celsius, which was 5 degrees above normal.
Minimum temperatures were recorded 2-8 degrees Celsius above normal in the state. Churu, Kota, Jaipur and Ajmer recorded 1.4, 1.3, 0.5 and 0.3 mm of rain till this morning, according to MeT officials.

Meanwhile, high altitude tribal areas of Himachal Pradesh had another spell of moderate snowfall while the mid and lower hills experienced widespread rains, causing sharp fall in day temperatures. Strong velocity icy winds swept the region while thick fog engulfed the region, reducing visibility to a few metres and hampering vehicular traffic.