Chill continues in north; Snow, rainfall forecast in J-K

Several parts of northern India were grappling with cold wave conditions today even as the weatherman predicted another spell of widespread rain or snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir in the coming days.
However, it was a pleasant day in the national capital, which saw the maximum temperature settling at 22.9 degrees Celsius, normal for this time of the year, even as the minimum here was recorded a notch lower than normal at 8.7 degrees. Humidity in air oscillated between 51 and 95 per cent.
The forecast is for mainly clear skies tomorrow with Delhi likely to experience moderate temperatures.
But there was no significant relief from the cold wave in the Kashmir division, including in Ladakh, as the minimum continued to remain below the freezing point in the region where the MeT department has predicted widespread rain or snowfall over the next week.

"There is possibility of fairly widespread rainfall or snow from February 16 to 18, with heavy precipitation at scattered places over J-K," the weather office said, adding that the conditions would remain mainly dry till then.
Kargil, in the frontier region of Ladakh, continued to be the coldest recorded place in J-K as it saw the minimum settle at -17 degrees -- same as the night before.

The nearby town of Leh recorded a low of -12.4 degrees while the minimum in Srinagar, the summer capital of J-K, was at -1.2 degrees.
Wintry conditions also prevailed in Punjab and Haryana as the mercury dropped several notches below normal across the two neighbouring states.

Amritsar in Punjab recorded the lowest minimum for the two states at 4.8 degrees while Ludhiana saw the mercury settle at 9.8 degrees. Patiala's minimum was 8.6 degrees.
Karnal in Haryana braved the cold weather at 5.4 degrees, four notches below normal, while Ambala registered a low of 8.6 degrees.
Meanwhile, after two days of respite, the cold revived in the northwestern parts of Rajasthan, where the mercury dipped by one to four notches at several places.
According to the MeT department, Churu was the coldest place in the desert state with the minimum there at 5.1 degrees.
The forecast is for the mercury to further decline in the coming 24 hours in the state.