Cold wave endures; five more perish

As the sun shone, the national capital experienced a pleasant day with a slight nip in the air. Delhi registered a maximum of 22.7 degrees Celsius, which was two degrees above normal, the MeT department said.

The minimum was 7.7 degrees Celsius, normal for this period, it said, adding that forecast is between 22 degrees Celsius and 7 degrees Celsius.

In Uttar Pradesh, three people were reported dead in Barabanki district and two in Jaunpur since yesterday due to the continuing cold wave, taking the death toll this winter to 254.

The lowest minimum temperature in the state was -0.5 degrees Celsius, recorded at Najibabad (Bijnore).

In the East, Aizawl in Mizoram witnessed the chilliest day recorded since 1996 with a minimum temperature of 5.6 degree Celsius. Frequent power cuts due to excess power consumption in search of warmth left people shivering.

In the North, Kashmir valley braved frigid night conditions with Kargil town in the cold desert of Ladakh being the coldest recorded place in the state by registering a low of minus 18.6 degrees Celsius, as compared to yesterday's minus 18.2 degrees Celsius.

The night temperature in summer capital Srinagar plummeted from yesterday's low of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius to settle at a minimum of minus 4.0 degrees Celsius.

However, the minimum temperature in the famous skiing resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir was minus 9.0 degrees Celsius -