NEW DELHI: Cold and foggy weather conditions prevailed in parts of northern India on Wednesday with most of Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh reeling in freezing temperatures. Dense haze happened in some places about Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Bihar.
Odisha continued to reel under a cold snap for a third day, while the minimum temperature in Delhi fell to four Celsius degrees.
In Kashmir, cold conditions intensified and most of the valley witnessed a drop in its minimum temperatures.
The weather has remained dry and cold in Kashmir since it snowed on December 12, and the nighttime temperature remained several degrees below freezing, an official with the Department of Meteorology said.
The meteorological department has predicted that the cold and dry weather will continue until December 25.
The valley also wobbled in subzero night temperatures, even though there was a slight improvement in mercury in most places.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, registered a low of minus 5 degrees Celsius, slightly higher than the minus 5.2 degrees Celsius the night before.
Parts of Delhi were shrouded in fog.
The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded a low of four degrees Celsius, four levels below normal.
The Lodhi Road weather station registered a low of 3.7 degrees Celsius, according to IMD.
The Safdarjung Observatory recorded a low of 3.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the lowest this season so far.
The minimum temperature had risen slightly on Monday and Tuesday under the influence of a new western disturbance that affected the upper reaches of the Himalayas.
In Himachal Pradesh, the Keylong administrative center of the Lahaul-Spiti tribal district remained the coldest place in the state at minus 7.7 degrees Celsius.
Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded a minimum of minus 0.6 degrees Celsius, while Manali, Dalhousie and Kufri registered a minimum of 1.2, 3.7 and 4.1 degrees Celsius, respectively. The minimum temperature in Shimla was recorded at 6 degrees Celsius.
Cold conditions prevailed in Haryana and Punjab, with the minimum temperature hovering around normal limits.
Hisar in Haryana they braved the cold recording a minimum of 2.7 degrees Celsius, while Adampur and Ludhiana in Punjab also reeling in biting cold recording respective lows of 2.5 degrees Celsius and 2.8 degrees Celsius.
Among other places in Punjab, Amritsar, Patiala, Faridkot, Halwara and Bathinda also experienced a cold night recording respective minimum temperatures of 3.4 degrees Celsius, 4.6 degrees Celsius, 4.1 degrees Celsius, 4.3 degrees Celsius and 5.2 degrees Celsius.
In Rajasthan, Sikar was recorded as the coldest place with a minimum temperature of 4 degrees Celsius.
Sikar was followed by Pilani, where the night temperature was recorded at 4.4 degrees Celsius.
Phulbani from Odisha in Kandhamal district registered a low of 4 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest place in the state.
The cold snap is likely to prevail in one or two places in 11 districts in the next 24 hours.
Mercury in picturesque Daringbadi in the Kandhamal mountain district also fell to 5 degrees Celsius.
Light frosts were reported from both Phulbani and Daringbadi on Wednesday morning.
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