Cold grips North, mercury in Kashmir touches zero degree

Cold tightened its hold over North India as mercury in the national capital touched eight degree Celsius mark while most parts of flood-hit Kashmir Valley reeled under sub zero temperature.
Minimum temperature in Delhi today dipped further as it settled four notches below the season's average at 8.6 degrees.
Delhiites witnessed a clear sky and the maximum was recorded at 28.1 degrees, normal for this time of the year, according to Meteorological department.
Residents of Kashmir division experienced bone chilling cold as the night temperature in most places including Srinagar slipped below the freezing point, compounding the problems of those affected by the recent floods.

Leh town in frontier region of Ladakh was the coldest recorded place in the division with a low of minus 10.0 degrees Celsius, while Pahalgam hill resort in south Kashmir was shivering at season's low of minus 8.6 degrees Celsius, a spokesperson of the meteorological department said.
Srinagar, the worst-hit in the September floods, recorded the coldest night of the season with a low of minus 0.3 degrees Celsius, he said.

Kargil was the third coldest recorded place with a minimum of minus 7.2 degrees Celsius.
Qazigund, the gateway town on Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, recorded a low of minus 1.4 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature in north Kashmir's Kupwara town also fell and settled at minus 1.2 degrees Celsius.

Gulmarg, the famous ski resort and the main attraction for tourists visiting Valley during winter, recorded a low of minus 0.2 degrees Celsius.
Gulmarg along with high altitude areas of the valley witnessed several brief spells of snowfall early this month.
The floods in September caused massive devastation in the valley, displacing thousands of families - many of whom are still living in tents or tin-sheds within their localities.
With the onset of the winter, many of the displaced families were forced to take shelter at the homes of their relatives, rented accommodation, government buildings and places of worship to escape the biting cold.

Western parts of Rajasthan also reeled under cold conditions.
Churu recorded minimum temperature of 5.5 degrees last night, about 5 degrees less than the normal for this part of the season.