Cold claims two lives in north; 89 trains cancelled due to fog

Cold conditions intensified across north India today claiming two lives in Rajasthan while a dense fog engulfing the region forced cancellation of 89 trains.
There was shallow fog and traces of rainfall witnessed in some areas of the national capital this morning with the minimum temperature settling at 12 degrees Celsius.
While flight operations were normal, as many as nine Delhi-bound trains, including Guwahati Rajdhani Express, Vikramshila Express and Magadh Express, were reported to be running late and one rescheduled due to fog.
89 trains remained cancelled as announced earlier, a senior railway official said.
The maximum temperature settled at 23.2 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season's average while the minimum temperature was recoded at 12 degrees Celsius, five notches above the normal, said a MeT department official.

The humidity in air oscillated between 95 and 59 per cent.

In Rajasthan, cold wave has claimed the lives of two beggars in Jaipur during last 24 hours, as the state continued to reel under cold conditions.
A 70-year-old man was found dead at New Gate in Chaura Rasta, while another 45-year-old was found lying dead in Bajri Mandi in Gopalpura area in Jaipur yesterday due to cold weather, police said.
Dabok in Udaipur recorded the lowest temperature of 7.8 degree Celsius followed by Sikar 8, Mount Abu 8.4, and Jaipur 10.6 degree Celsius last night, a MeT official said.

There was dense fog in Bikaner district, which cleared around 9 am.
Elsewhere the minimum temperature varied between 11 and 15.1 degree Celsius including at Jodhpur, Pilani, Ajmer, Sawaimadhopur, Jaisalmer, Barmer, and Churu.
Many parts of Kashmir, including Srinagar were engulfed in a thick layer of fog this morning affecting visibility even as the minimum temperature went down at most places in the Valley. Leh at minus 13.2 degrees Celsius was the coldest.
Motorists negotiated the roads with caution in the poor light. However, there was no fog around the airport, "flight operations went on normally," said an official at Srinagar International Airport.

The mercury in Srinagar dropped by nearly two degrees from a low of minus 0.8 degrees Celsius the previous night to settle at a low of minus 2.5 degrees, said a Meteorological Department spokesman.