Shimla, Jan 10 (PTI) Himachal Pradesh reeled
under a severe cold wave after heavy snowfall and rains over the last four days
caused a sharp fall in temperatures across the state. The key tourist resort of
Manali shivered with minimum temperature plummeting by six degrees to settle at
minus 7 degree Celsius while the state capital Shimla and Solan recorded a low
of minus 2.1 degree Celsius and minus 2.5 degree Celsius respectively, which is
4.5 degrees below normal.
Bhuntar and Sundernagar recorded minimum
temperatures of minus one degree and zero degrees while Palampur, Una and
Dharamsala groaned under piercing cold wave conditions with mercury slipping to
one degree, 2.1 degree and 2.4 degree respectively. Keylong and Kalpa in tribal
districts of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur recorded a low of minus 10.5 degree
and minus 9.3 degree. Vehicular traffic remained suspended in upper Shimla
region for the second day today and several tourist resorts including Kufri,
Narkanda, Sarahan, Sangla remained inaccessible.
The upper Shimla areas and Kinnaur remained cut off from the state capital
while vehicular traffic was badly affected in the morning due to slippery road
conditions and daily supplies like newspapers, vegetables and milk reached late
by over three hours. The winter carnival at Manali also suffered due to snow
and intense cold as people preferred to stay indoors and Kullu-Manali road also
remained closed due to snow. The region had some respite from rains and snow
today after four days but pale sun failed to warm up the region. People in Shimla
woke up to a bright morning but thick clouds overcast the sky in the afternoon
and day temperature remained low. All natural sources of water like lakes,
springs, rivulets and a 70km stretch of Chandrabhaga river were frozen, causing
sharp fall in water supply in the Snowfed Sutlej, Ravi and Beas rivers,
affecting power generation.
Chandigarh: Amritsar in Punjab today recorded this year's lowest minimum so far
at minus 2 degrees Celsius as severe cold waves swept most parts of the state
and neighbouring Haryana.
Amritsar's minimum today dropped five notches below normal and settled at minus
2 degrees Celsius, the MeT Office here said.
On December 30 last year, Amritsar had recorded a low of minus 2.1 degree
Celsius and on December 27, the minimum had settled at minus 1.6 degree
Celsius.
Pune is in the grip of a cold wave, with the city
recording its lowest minimum temperature of 7.2 degrees Celsius this season on
Monday morning, a good 4 degrees below normal.Officials of the India meteorological
department (IMD) have predicted a further drop in minimum temperature to 6
degrees on Tuesday morning, and expect the minimum temperatures to stay in the
6-8 degree band over the next 3 days.
Meanwhile, intense cold conditions also swept Ludhiana, which recorded a low of
3.8 degree Celsius, down two notches, while the minimum at Patiala was 4 degree
Celsius, two below normal.
Chandigarh had a clear sky today, but the night temperature dropped since
yesterday to settle at 4.6 degree Celsius.
In Haryana, Hisar and Rohtak reeled under bone-chilling weather recording
identical minimums of 1.7 degree Celsius each, both down five notches. Cold
wave also swept Karnal, where minimum settled at 2.4 degree Celsius, five
degrees below normal while Ambala's minimum was 5.2 degree Celsius. Narnaul,
too, experienced a cold night at 4 degree Celsius, down four notches.
The MeT has forecast no immediate relief from cold weather conditions in the
region during the next two days.
Cold wave grips Pune, further drop in temperature
expected
Courtesy: DNA
IMD’s deputy director general (meteorology), Medha Khole, told DNA on
Monday afternoon that most of Madhya Maharashtra was experiencing cold wave
conditions (4 to 6 degrees below normal) with Nashik city recording 4.8 degrees
Celsius on Monday morning.
Khole attributed the cold wave conditions in Pune and Madhya Maharashtra
to heavy snowfall and cold wave conditions prevalent across northern India and
the easy movement of the northerly winds to central India. While temperatures
in Vidarbha were below normal, the region was not yet experiencing cold wave
conditions.
On Monday, minimum temperatures plunged in Ahmednagar (7.6 C) and Satara (9 C),
but remained out of “cold wave conditions” in Mahabaleshwar (11.6 C), Kolhapur
(14.4 C), Mumbai (15.2 C), Nagpur (15 C), Aurangabad (10.3 C) and Amravati
(12.4 C).
According to Khole, the movement of moisture laden winds from the west away
from northern India had helped the movement of cold winds to central India. Cold
wave conditions prevailed in Jammu and Kashmir, west Rajasthan, west Madhya
Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand,
interior Saurashtra and Kutch in Gujarat.
Biting cold prevailed in Kashmir Valley today
with minimum temperatures dipping below the normal in several places. The
minimum temperature in the skiing resort of Gulmarg plunged more than sixteen
degrees below the freezing point. The mercury in the north Kashmir's famous
Gulmarg resort plunged to minus 16.2 degrees Celsius, recording a drop of 1.7
degrees from yesterday, a MeT official said.
The morning temperature in Gulmarg was recorded at minus 12.6 degrees Celsius,
he said adding that the minimum temperature in south Kashmir's Pahalgam tourist
resort was minus 11.4 degrees Celsius, a drop of 4.6 degrees compared to
yesterday.Though Srinagar city recorded a slightly warmer night with minimum
temperature increasing by 1.4 degrees, the city shivered at minus 2.8 degrees
Celsius, with many of the interior roads and lanes covered by an ice layer.
Electricity was restored at almost throughout the city after three days of complete
black-out due to heavy snowfall, which had snapped the power supply. Water
supply, however, remained affected as extremely chilling weather froze the
supply pipes. The south Kashmir gateway town of Qazigund recorded a minimum of
minus 4.8 degrees Celsius, while north Kashmir's frontier Kupwara town recorded
a low of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius, the official said.
Cold wave
back in Rajasthan
Jaipur: Mercury dipped in parts of Rajasthan where Churu was the coldest place
at minus 0.6 degree Celsius followed by Pilani at one degree Celsius. Mercury
in the sole hill station of the state, Mount Abu, dipped to minus 2.6 degrees
Celsius, according to the MeT department here.
Bikaner and Sawaimadhopur had respective lows at 2.5 degrees Celsius and 2.7
degrees Celsius. Vanasthali recorded a low of 3.7 degrees Celsius. Jaisalmer
and Chittorgarh recorded minimums of 4.6 and 5.2 degrees Celsius.
Other places in the state recorded night temperature in the range of 6.1
degrees Celsius to 10.5 degrees Celsius.
New Delhi, Jan 10 (ANI): There was no respite
for residents of Delhi, as the temperature plummeted further on Monday night
and is expected to touch even lower levels in the coming days. The biting cold
and icy winds have magnified the agony of people living on the streets. As some
of them gather around bonfires to warm themselves.
"We get all the garbage and burn it, to protect ourselves from the cold.
We are rickshaw pullers, what else can we get? We have no money to get wood. We
have no other alternative. Since the last two days, it is even colder after the
shower of rain," said Monu Singh, a rickshaw puller.
The city has experienced foggy conditions over last few days, leading to low
visibility and several accidents. A recent downpour in the city heightened cold
wave conditions, in north India.
"We sit inside the car to feel warm, we cover ourselves with a blanket and
sit inside. We wind up the windows to protect ourselves from the strong winds.
After the hailstorm, the cold wave has intensified," said Amar Mehta, a
resident.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department, minimum temperature in most
parts of northern India is likely to remain two to three degrees Celsius below
normal, and the mercury will continue to dip. (ANI)
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