Mercury dips in north, northwest India; max temp below 20 degrees Celsius

Biting cold conditions gripped parts of north and north-west India as mercury plummeted several notches with cities and towns reporting maximum temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius and dense fog engulfing large tracts in Punjab and Haryana.

The mercury plunged to a minimum of 5.3 degrees Celsius in the national capital, and made a slow climb as the day progressed to settle at a maximum of 16.2 degrees Celsius, a departure of five degrees from the normal temperature for the day.

Chandigarh reported a maximum temperature of 11.1 degrees Celsius, Ambala 11 degrees Celsius (9 deg below normal), Hissar 10.2 degrees Celsius (-11.8 deg), Delhi 16.2 degrees Celsius (-5 deg), Amritsar 12.9 degrees Celsius (-7.1 deg), Ganganagar 10.3 degrees Celsius (-11.7 deg), Bareilly 15.4 degrees Celsius (-6.6 deg), the weather office said.

Most of the stations of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi and adjoining west Uttar Pradesh and northwest Rajasthan reported decreasing 24-hour tendencies up to six degrees Celsius, it said.

The weather office said the cold day, cold wave conditions are expected to prevail for the next two days and abate thereafter.

Dense fog conditions were likely to continue over Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan till December 27 and gradually decrease thereafter.

The weather office has forecast isolated snowfall over the Western Himalayan region under the influence of a western disturbance, an extra-tropical weather system that originates in the Mediterranean sea.

Another western disturbance is likely to visit the western Himalayan region on the night of December 29, bringing isolated to scattered rainfall/snowfall to the region, it said.