North India continues to feel the chill
Cold weather conditions persisted in many parts of north and east India on Tuesday, with minimum temperature in parts of Kashmir dropping several notches below freezing point, and Kanke in Jharkhand recording a low of 2.5 degrees Celsius.
Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.3 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, down from minus 3.4 degrees Celsius the previous night, with water supply lines in many parts of the city and elsewhere in the Valley getting frozen due to the cold, officials said.
Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 4 degrees Celsius, the same as the previous night, while Pahalgam recorded a low of minus 6.8 degrees Celsius, down from the previous night's minus 5 degrees Celsius.
Konibal on the outskirts of Pampore was the coldest in the Valley at minus 8.5 degrees Celsius, officials said.
Other places where the minimum temperature dropped well below the freezing point included Qazigund (minus 6 degrees Celsius), Kupwara (minus 5.6 degrees Celsius), and Kokernag (minus 5.7 degrees Celsius).
The Met office has forecast mainly dry weather until December 26, with the possibility of light snow in the higher reaches of the Valley on the intervening night of December 21-22.
In Himachal Pradesh, the local meteorological office on Tuesday issued an orange warning for severe cold wave conditions at isolated places in the lower hills and plain areas of four out of 12 districts for the next two days.
Severe cold wave is likely to persist at isolated places in Una, Bilapsur, Hamirpur and Mandi districts, the Met office said.
Tabo in Lahaul and Spiti was coldest at night, recording a low of minus 6.5 degrees Celsius, while Kukumseri shivered at minus 4.6 degrees, Manali at minus 2.1 degrees, Hamirpur at 1.3 degrees, Sundernagar at 0.5 degrees, Una at 0.4 degrees, and Bilapsur at 2.2 degrees Celsius, MeT office data showed.
Shimla and its suburbs remained warmer with the state capital recording a low of 7.6 degrees Celsius, Jubberhatti 8.3 degrees Celsius, and Kufri 6.9 degree Celisus.
Delhi on Tuesday recorded a minimum temperature of 5.9 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees below normal, while the maximum temperature settled at 24.4 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal.
The weather department has forecast dense fog for Wednesday with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 24 degrees Celsius and 6 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Meanwhile, cold weather conditions continued in several parts of Punjab and Haryana, with Faridkot recording a minimum temperature of 0 degree Celsius on Tuesday, the lowest in the region.
Amritsar was the coldest in Punjab after Faridkot at 2.6 degrees Celsius, while Ludhiana and Patiala both registered a low of 4.8 degrees Celsius.
A cold wave also swept Pathankot, which recorded a low of 2.8 degrees Celsius, while Bathinda and Gurdaspur shivered at 3 degrees and 3.5 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Chandigarh recorded a low of 6.6 degrees Celsius.
In Haryana, Hisar was the coldest at 1.6 degrees Celsius, while Sirsa shivered at 2.6 degrees Celsius.
Karnal also experienced a cold night, recording a low of 4.6 degrees Celsius, while Rohtak and Bhiwani recorded minimum temperature at 5.6 degrees and 5.7 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Extreme cold conditions also continued in parts of Rajasthan with minimum temperature recorded at below normal at many places, the meteorological office said on Tuesday.
Karauli recorded the lowest night temperature at 1.3 degrees Celsius, followed by Fatehpur (2.5 degrees), Sangaria (3.4 degrees), Sikar (3.7 degrees), Churu (4 degrees), Alwar (4.2 degrees), Ganganagar and Dholpur (4.8 degrees), Nagaur (5.1 degrees), Anta (5.2 degrees), Sirohi (5.3 degrees), and Bhilwara and Pilani (5.4 degrees), data showed.
The minimum temperature can see further drop due to a weak western disturbance after 24 hours, the MeT office said.
Meanwhile, most places in Jharkhand recorded minimum temperature below 10 degrees Celsius on Tuesday with Kanke being the coldest in the state at 2.5 degrees Celsius.
Gumla shivered at 4.9 degrees Celsius, Garhwa recorded a minimum of 5 degrees Celsius, followed by Lohardaga (6.3 degrees), Chatra (6.4 degrees), Daltonganj (7.5 degrees), Dhanbad (8.8 degrees), and Jamshedpur (9.5 degrees), the Met office said.
State capital Ranchi recorded a low of 9 degrees Celsius.
