Amritsar freezes as cold wave sweeps Punjab, Haryana

There was no respite from bone- chilling cold conditions and dense fog in most parts of Punjab and Haryana today with Amritsar freezing at zero degrees.
Amritsar registered the coldest night of the season so far as minimum temperature plummeted three degrees below normal level, MeT officials here said.
Freezing chill also swept Narnaul in Haryana, which recorded a low of 1.5 degree Celsius, down four notches.
Karnal residents braved a cold night at 2.6 degrees, down three notches while Hisar's minimum settled at 3.1 degrees, two degrees below normal.
Piercing cold also swept Patiala, which recorded a low of 3.4 degree Celsius, four notches below normal while there was no relief from the biting chill for Ludhiana residents also as the Punjab's industrial town registered three notches below normal minimum of 4.1 degrees.

Chandigarh, too, continued to be under the grip of cold wave conditions, recording a low of 3 degrees, down three notches than normal.

While the minimum temperatures have dipped few notches below normal for the past many days, severe chill during the day time as well has made the ongoing cold wave spell unbearable for people, with maximum temperatures settling in the range of 11-17 degree Celsius at most places in the states.
At most places in the two states and Chandigarh, people packed themselves in heavy woolens and many could be seen sipping on hot beverages to keep themselves warm.

Fog continued to disrupt normal life at many places in Punjab and Haryana today.
According to the MeT here, Ambala, Hisar, Karnal, Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala were among other places in the two states which remained engulfed in fog early today.
During the past ten days, foggy weather has adversely affected normal movement of road, rail and air traffic in the region.