In Punjab, Bathinda shivers at one degree Celsius, Delhi colder than Dharamsala, Nainital
Chandigarh: Freezing temperatures, heavy fog and biting cold wave conditions continued across Punjab and Haryana on Wednesday, December 28, with Bathinda being the coldest place in the region, according to a report issued by the Meteorological Department here, a PTI report in The Tribune, Chandigarh, says.
A thick blanket of fog also enveloped many parts of both the states, thus reducing visibility.
In Punjab, Bathinda shivered at one degree Celsius, the report said.
Amritsar recorded its low at 2.8 degrees Celsius while Ludhiana’s minimum temperature was 6.4 degrees Celsius.
Patiala, Pathankot, Faridkot and Gurdaspur recorded their respective minimums at 6.8, 7.1, 3.5 and 4.7 degrees Celsius.
Chandigarh recorded its minimum temperature at 5.1 degrees Celsius.
In Haryana, Narnaul experienced cold weather conditions at 4 degrees Celsius.
Among other places in the state, Ambala’s minimum temperature was 6.7 degrees Celsius while Hisar’s low was 4.3 degrees Celsius.
The minimum temperatures of Karnal, Rohtak, Bhiwani and Sirsa settled at 6.7, 8.2, 4.3 and 5.8 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Delhi colder than Dharamsala, Nainital
Parts of the national capital reeled under a cold wave on Tuesday as its minimum temperature fell below that of hill stations Dharamshala and Nainital.
With a high windchill factor — a measure of the rate of heat loss from skin that is exposed to the air — in play, cold day conditions prevailed in some parts of the city such as Palam and Jafarpur.
When minimum temperatures drop to 10 degrees Celsius below normal and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees below normal, it is regarded as a cold day A severe cold day is when the maximum is 6.5 degrees or more below normal.
The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi’s primary weather station, logged a minimum temperature of 5.6 degrees Celsius — a notch below normal. The maximum temperature settled at 17.2 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal.
In comparison, the minimum temperature in Dehradun was recorded at 7 degrees Celsius, Dharamshala at 6.2 degrees Celsius, and Nainital at 7.2 degrees Celsius.
Mahesh Palawat, vice president (meteorology and climate change), Skymet Weather, said a western disturbance had led to a fresh spell of snowfall in the mountains on December 25-26.
In the national capital, visibility fell to just 50 metres and affected road traffic and train movement. An intense cold wave has gripped the entire Himachal Pradesh as minimum temperatures dropped to below freezing point.
The minimum temperatures dipped 10-12 degrees below freezing point in high altitude tribal areas, mountain passes, and other higher ranges. Keylong in tribal Lahaul valley recorded minus 7.9 degrees, followed by Kusumseri minus 5.0 degrees, Kalpa minus 3.6 degrees, Manali minus 0.6 degrees, and Bhuntar minus 0.4 degrees.
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