Cold wave eases in north India; fog disrupts rail, flight ops

Cold wave conditions are slowly easing with the mercury maintaining its upward trend in many areas of north India, even though fog disrupted train and flight operations in some parts today.
In the national capital, the minimum temperature settled three notches above the season's average at 9.8 degrees Celsius while the maximum stood at 18 degrees, three notches below normal.
Overcast and foggy conditions prevailed in the morning which affected the operations of around 71 trains and 10 odd flights, officials said.
Rajasthan got slight respite from the cold wave with an increase in night temperatures by one to five degrees Celsius. Churu was the state's coldest with a minimum of 6.6 degrees. Night temperatures in Sriganganagar, Dabok, Kota, Pilani, Jaipur and Ajmer were recorded at 6.8, 7, 7.6, 7.9, 8.9 and 10.4 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Fog, however, covered vast swathes of the desert state and affected transport services. As many as 14 trains were running late while four trains were cancelled due to inclement weather, according to a North Western Railway spokesperson.
In Uttar Pradesh, cold conditions prevailed in some places with fog engulfing eastern and western parts of the state. The state's lowest minimum temperature was 4 degrees Celsius, recorded in Jhansi.

Cold wave conditions also continued in some parts of Punjab and Haryana while thick fog engulfed many places in the region affecting rail and air services.
At least five flights of private carriers to Delhi were delayed. Rail traffic also took a hit with many trains running late or delayed by hours.

Amritsar recorded a low 2.2 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal and was the coldest place in the two states. Patiala also witnessed a cold night at 7.4 degrees. Ludhiana's minimum settled within the normal range at 8.3 degrees.
Karnal's low settled at 6.8 degree Celsius while Ambala recorded a low at 8.5 degrees. Chandigarh's low settled at 10.2 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal.
Several areas of north India experienced overcast conditions with the MeT department predicting rain or thundershower later tonight or tomorrow.