North India reels under cold wave, Delhi sees season's lowest at 3.4 deg C

Cold wave conditions continued across north India on Sunday, with most places in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh experiencing sub-zero temperatures and Delhi recording the season's lowest temperature so far.

The national capital recorded the coldest morning of the season so far at 3.4 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

On Saturday, the minimum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, had settled at 3.9 degrees Celsius.

"The observatory recorded a minimum of 3.4 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal, on Sunday morning. The maximum temperature is likely to settle around 22 degrees Celsius," an IMD official said.

The mercury dipped to 3.3 degrees Celsius at Lodhi Road as icy winds from the snow-laden Western Himalayas barrelled through the city, the IMD said.

There was some improvement in the minimum temperatures across Kashmir on Sunday but the valley continued to experience sub-zero nights, even as the 40-day harshest winter period -- "Chillai-Kalan" -- starts from Monday, MeT officials said.

The night temperature rose slightly across the valley owing to a cloud cover, but the minimum still settled below the freezing point, they added.

Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a low of minus 6.2 degrees Celsius, slightly up from the previous night's minus 6.6 degrees Celsius, the officials said.

Icy winds swept through the hills of Himachal Pradesh as several places recorded sub-zero temperatures, the meteorological department said.

The tribal district of Lahaul-Spiti's administrative centre, Keylong, continued to be the coldest place in the state at minus 11 degrees Celsius, Met centre, Shimla Director Manmohan Singh said.

Keylong, Kalpa, Manali and Mandi shivered at sub-zero temperatures in the last 24 hours.

The cold wave conditions sweeping Punjab and Haryana for the last few days continued unabated, with Adampur recording a minimum temperature of zero degree Celsius, the IMD said.

While Adampur was the coldest place in Punjab, Amritsar too reeled under an intense chill, recording a low of one degree Celsius.

In Haryana, Narnaul was the coldest place, recording a low of 2.4 degrees Celsius.

Cold wave conditions prevailed in Rajasthan too, with the state's only hill station, Mount Abu, recording a low of minus 1.5 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.

The minimum temperature is likely to increase by two to three degrees Celsius at most parts of the state in the next 48 hours, it added.

Churu recorded a low of 1.6 degrees Celsius, followed by Sikar (2), Bhilwara (2.8), Pilani (2.9), Chittorgarh (4), Banasthali (5.2), Sriganganagar (5.9), Kota (6.3) and Jaipur (7.6 degrees Celsius).

Cold-day conditions were witnessed at a few places in Uttar Pradesh, the IMD said.

Muzaffarnagar was the coldest place in the state at two degrees Celsius. Lucknow recorded a low of four degrees Celsius, while Allahabad's minimum temperature settled at 6.2 degrees Celsius.

Bareilly recorded 3.3 degrees Celsius, while Churk (Sonbhadra) recorded a low of three degrees Celsius. The mercury fell to 5.2 degrees Celsius in Meerut and 5.6 degrees Celsius in Varanasi. Kanpur recorded a low of 4.2 degrees Celsius.