Cold eases in north but claims 2 lives in UP

Cold wave conditions eased in northern India today although the winter chill led to two deaths in the Muzaffarnagar district of Uttar Pradesh.
Residents of Kashmir Valley got some respite from the freezing cold with the mercury rising several notches in Jammu and Kashmir.
Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of -1.1 degrees Celsius, almost two degrees up from the previous night's low of -3 degrees while the mercury in Pahalgam hill resort shot up by almost seven degrees from -12.4 degrees the night before to settle at -5.6 degrees.
The temperature was up six notches in Ladakh's Leh to settle at a low of -12.1 degrees as against the previous night's -18.9 degrees. Leh, however, continues to be the coldest place in J-K.

The mercury in the nearby Kargil town rose by over five notches to settle at -11.5 degrees.
But Uttar Pradesh reported fresh casualties in the cold with two persons, including a woman, succumbing to chilly temperatures in Muzaffarnagar. Also, official sources said that six children at a temporary night shelter in Shamli district were taken ill as a result of the harsh conditions.

A 55-year-old man and a 30-year-old woman, both residents of Gangeru village, died yesterday after falling ill due to the cold. Icy winds have been sweeping the region for the past few days.
Meanwhile, in Gorakhpur district, educational institutions up to the intermediate level have been ordered shut till Wednesday in view of the cold and fog.

The minimum fell in Varanasi, Gorakhpur and Allahabad divisions while the lowest temperature in the state was 4.4 degrees recorded at Etawah.
Delhi today basked in bright sunshine which lasted throughout the day with no sign of fog over the city.
The sunny weather pushed the mercury to a notch above normal with the maximum settling at 21.6 degrees in the national capital.
The minimum was registered at 7 degrees, which was a notch below normal and slightly above yesterday's 6.3 degrees.