Mercury plummets below freezing point in J-K Himachal dense fog grips plains

New Delhi, Jan 3 (PTI) A biting cold gripped the northern states, with the mercury dipping below freezing point in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh on Saturday, while cold conditions prevailed along the plains, accompanied by dense fog during early morning hours.
     Cold wave conditions are likely to affect isolated places in the national capital between January 4 and January 7, the weather office has forecast, issuing a yellow alert for dense fog in the city on Sunday.
     A cold wave is declared when the minimum temperature drops 4.5 to 6.5 degrees below the seasonal average.
     Delhi logged a minimum temperature of 8.1 degrees Celsius, 1.2 notches above the seasonal average, while the maximum temperature settled at 17.3 degrees Celsius, 2 degrees below normal, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
     The Ayanagar station recorded the lowest local minimum at 6.9 degrees Celsius, while Lodhi Road logged the highest local maximum of 17.6 degrees Celsius.
     Visibility remained low during the morning hours amid dense fog, with Safdarjung recording the lowest visibility of 800 metres around 9 am, which later improved to 1,200 metres, the IMD said.
     The mercury plummeted below the freezing point at several places along the western Himalayan ranges.
     After a few days of respite, the cold returned to Kashmir amid sub-zero minimum temperatures, the IMD said.
     While Srinagar recorded a minimum of minus 1.5 degrees Celsius, down from 0.1 degrees Celsius a night before, the ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir remained the coldest spot, with mercury dipping to minus 6.5 degrees Celsius. Pahalgam in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 5.2 degrees Celsius.
     The minimum temperature settled at minus 2.6 degrees Celsius in Qazigund, while Kokernag recorded a low of minus 0.8 degrees Celsius, and Kupwara in north Kashmir logged minus 1.6 degrees Celsius.
     The region is currently experiencing 'Chilla-e-Kalan', the 40-day period of extreme cold, during which night temperatures often drop several degrees below freezing point.
     During this period, the chances of snowfall are maximum.
     The IMD has forecast light rain or snowfall at isolated places in the higher reaches of north and central Kashmir on January 5 and 6.
     The weather is expected to remain largely dry until January 4.
     Cold wave conditions gripped Himachal Pradesh on Saturday with the IMD issuing a yellow alert for dense fog at isolated places in Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, Kangra, Mandi, Solan and Sirmaur districts in the morning hours from January 4 to 7.
     According to the Met office, Kukumseri recorded the lowest of minus 7 degrees Celsius, followed by Tabo minus 6.4 degrees and Kalpa minus 2.2 degrees.
     The Met station on Saturday predicted light snowfall at isolated places in Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti districts on January 6 and issued a yellow warning of dense fog at isolated places .
     With no significant change in maximum temperatures, Solan was the hottest with a high of 19 degrees Celsius, it said.
     Tourist destinations like Manali recorded a temperature of 0.2 degrees Celsius, followed by Narkanda, 0.4 degrees, Palampur, 1.0 degrees, Kufri, 2.7 degrees, Dharamshala, 4.2 degrees and Shimla, 4.5 degrees.
     The high altitude tribal area, higher reaches and mountain passes groaned under arctic conditions with mercury staying eight to twelve degrees below freezing point.
     Intense cold conditions prevailed in Punjab and Haryana on Saturday, even as minimum temperatures hovered above normal at several places in both states.
     Mahendragarh in Haryana was the coldest place in the state with a low of 4 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD.
     Ambala experienced a minimum of 11.2 degrees Celsius, four degrees above normal, while Hisar's low was 8.1 degrees Celsius, two degrees above average.
     Karnal recorded a low of 9 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal.
     The minimum temperature in Rohtak was recorded at 9.8 degrees Celsius, three notches above average.
     Bhiwani, Sirsa and Faridabad registered their minimum temperatures of 5.8, 9 and 6.3 degrees Celsius, respectively.
     Chandigarh, the joint capital of the two states, recorded a minimum of 9.3 degrees Celsius, two degrees above normal.
     In Punjab, Faridkot was the coldest with a minimum of 5.5 degrees Celsius.
     Amritsar recorded a low of 7.5 degrees Celsius, four degrees above normal, whereas Ludhiana's minimum was 9.6 degrees Celsius, also four notches above average. Patiala's low was 8.3 degrees Celsius, two degrees above normal.
     Pathankot, Bathinda, Gurdaspur and SBS Nagar recorded their respective lows of 9.2, 8.2, 8 and 7.4 degrees Celsius.
     Meanwhile, cold conditions prevailed in parts of Rajasthan, while several places in the eastern region witnessed dense to very dense fog, the IMD said.
     Fatehpur in Sikar district was the coldest in the state with a minimum temperature of 2.8 degrees Celsius, it said.
     Sikar recorded a low of 3.2 degrees Celsius, Alwar 4.4 degrees Celsius, Sirohi 5 degrees Celsius, Lunkaransar 5.6 degrees Celsius, Karauli 6.1 degrees Celsius and Jaipur 8.2 degrees Celsius.
     The IMD said cold conditions are likely to persist in some areas, particularly during the night and early morning hours, with reduced visibility in fog-prone regions of eastern Rajasthan.
     It advised people to take precautions against cold conditions and fog, especially while travelling during early morning hours.
     According to the department, the weather is likely to remain dry across the state over the next one week.
     Minimum temperatures are expected to drop 1 to 2 degrees during the next two to three days, with the possibility of cold wave conditions in the northern parts of the state, it said.
     Maximum temperatures are likely to remain 2 to 5 degrees below normal over the next 48 hours, it said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)