Rajasthan reels under severe cold wave

The desert state of Rajasthan continued to reel under a severe cold wave Tuesday. The mercury plummeted to minus 1.4 degrees Celsius in Mount Abu, the only hill station in the state.

Thick fog continued to disrupt rail services, as 22 trains were running late by up to 10 hours. Two trains were cancelled while four other trains were rescheduled.

The minimum temperatures across the state were below the season's normal by one to five degrees.

Churu in the plains was the coldest place in the state recording the minimum temperature almost at the freezing point at 0.1 degree Celsius, Pilani was cold at 0.5 degree, and the lake city Udaipur was pretty chilly at 3 degrees.

State capital Jaipur recorded the mercury at 5.3 degrees Celsius, Alwar and Bikaner both saw a low of 3.9, and Sri Ganganagar recorded 3.2.

Weather officials said there would be no respite from the intense cold Wednesday, besides ground frost could occur at some places.

"Minimum temperatures are likely to hover around the present levels. Ground frost is likely to occur at some places," a weather department official said.