Nine deaths were reported from Uttar Pradesh as a severe cold wave gripped northern India yesterday with Himachal Pradesh’s Keylong and Jammu and Kashmir’s Kargil registering minus 13.9 and minus 15.6 degrees Celsius, respectively.
New Delhi recorded its lowest temperature of the season.
According to the weather office, another spell of rain and snowfall was expected both in Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir today and tomorrow.
The weather office has predicted even harsher conditions in the next few days as Siberian winds and a western disturbance were expected to bring down the temperatures further.
With the Uttar Pradesh capital Lucknow registering a dip of more than seven degrees, at least nine deaths were reported from Kannauj and Kanpur since Friday, an official said.
The Met office said that the mercury would dip steadily till January 19 after which the weather conditions might improve in the state. All schools up to class VIII have been shut till tomorrow.
The minimum temperature in Lucknow was 0.4 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest place in the state. The regional Met office said it was the lowest in several years.
Intense cold wave has gripped the Kashmir Valley as it passes through the 40-day period of harsh cold – ‘Chillai Kalan’ – which began on December 21 and will end on January 30.
All water bodies in the valley were either completely or partially frozen. Gulmarg and Pahalgam recorded minus 14.4 and minus 12 degrees, respectively.
Similar conditions were witnessed in most parts of Himachal Pradesh as prominent tourist towns like Shimla, Narkanda, Kufri, Kalpa, Dalhousie and Manali were likely to experience light to moderate spells of snowfall in the coming days.
In Delhi the mercury dipped to 3.2 degrees.
Migratory birds walk on ice on Dal Lake in Srinagar yesterday. The night temperature in Kashmir and Ladakh regions continued its downward spiral as the mercury dipped at many places.
