Cold conditions prevailed in
north India with Leh in Jammu and Kashmir shivering at minus 12.7 degrees Celsius today while dense fog affected road and rail traffic, leading to cancellation of 37 trains.
The weather was relatively warmer in Delhi with the maximum temperature settling a notch above normal at 23.6 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature was 9 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year, said a Met department official.
Shallow to moderate fog was reported at around 5:30 AM when visibility was recorded at 800 metres at 5:30 AM. It dropped to 300 metres at 8.30 AM but improved to 1,200 metres as the day progressed.
While flight operations remained normal, 37 trains were cancelled due to fog.
Most places in Punjab and Haryana were too reeling under cold conditions.
Hisar in Haryana recorded a low of 4.6 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal level.
Karnal also experienced a cold night at 5.2 degrees Celsius, down two degrees while Ambala recorded a minimum temperature of 6.8 degrees. Chandigarh was shivering at 6.6 degrees Celsius.
Amritsar in Punjab was the coldest place recording a low of 5.4 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperature at most places in Kashmir division, including Ladakh region, went down after showing an upward trend for the last three days, even as the Meteorological Department here predicted fairly widespread wet weather spell over few days from tomorrow.
Mercury in Srinagar decreased by over two degrees Celsius from the previous night's 2.2 degrees to settle below the freezing point at a low of minus 0.4 degrees Celsius, a MeT official said.
The night temperature in the hill resort of Pahalgam in south Kashmir, which serves as a base camp for the annual Amarnath Yatra, went down two notches to record a low of minus 5.3 degrees Celsius, the official said.
The minimum temperature also dropped in the famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir, the star attraction for tourists visiting the Valley during winter, as it settled at minus 6 degrees Celsius from the previous night's minus 5.4 degrees Celsius.
The mercury registered a decrease of four notches in
Kupwara town of north Kashmir and settled at a low of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius, the MeT official said.
The night temperature in Qazigund, the gateway town to Kashmir Valley and Kokernag, also in the south, went up to settle at 1.1 degrees Celsius and 0.1 degrees Celsius respectively.
The night temperature in Leh settled at a low of minus 12.7 degrees Celsius, a drop of over four degrees from the previous night's low of minus 8.3 degrees Celsius, he said.
The nearby Kargil town recorded a low of minus 11.6 degrees Celsius.
In Rajasthan, mercury has shown an upward trend at most places with the rise of one to three degrees Celsius due to arrival of fresh western disturbance (WD) since yesterday, a MeT official said.
However, Sriganganagar was the coldest place in the state with the minimum temperature of 6.4 degrees Celsius.
Sikar recorded minimum temperature of 7.5 degrees Celsius, Mount Abu 9 degrees Celsius, Pilani 9.3 degrees Celsius, Jaisalmer 9.6 degrees Celsius, Bikaner 9.9 degrees Celsius, and Jaipur 12 degrees Celsius.
Seven trains of North Western Railways were running late due to fog in Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, its CPRO Tarun Jain said.
