Mercury dips to near freezing point in North India

The northern states continued to shiver as the mercury dipped to near freezing point in some parts, while the weather department has predicted "cold to severe cold wave" in the days ahead.

Cold wave continued unabated in Kashmir with Srinagar experiencing the coldest January night in the last five years and water supply lines and various water bodies, including fringes of the famous Dal Lake, freezing.There was no respite from cold wave in Himachal Pradesh with Keylong, Kalpa and Manali recording a low of minus 14.8, minus 7.8 and minus 7 degrees Celsius respectively. 

Electricity was restored in most parts of Shimla town yesterday, but the water supply is yet to be normalised.Rajasthan continued to reel under intense cold conditions with Sikar in the plains recording the lowest minimum temperature in the state at minus 1



degrees Celsius.

Intense cold conditions continued in the national capital though the minimum temperature increased slightly to 4.3 degrees Celsius yesterday, three notches below the season's average..

Punjab and Haryana continued to reel under intense cold wave with Narnaul being the coldest in both the states as it recorded zero degree Celsius. A MeT department official said the  minimum temperatures remaining below five degrees Celsius in most parts of both the states.

Severe cold conditions continued in large parts of Uttar Pradesh with the state capital Lucknow witnessing the coldest day in the past three years, recording a low of 0.1 degrees Celsius.Met Department said, cold wave is likely to continue in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan during next 2-3 days.