Haryana & Punjab in grip of freezing cold, Hisar reels at 0.3 degrees C

Haryana and Punjab reeled under freezing cold on Friday, with the mercury settling at 0.3 degree Celsius in Hisar.

Hisar in Haryana experienced the season's coldest night as the minimum temperature dropped by six notches, a Meteorological Department official said here.

Mercury plummeted at other places as well and officials said there was no immediate relief in sight as severe cold was likely to continue for the next few days.

Minimum temperature dropped a few notches below normal in the state in Sirsa (two degrees celsius), Narnaul (three degrees), Rohtak (3.2 degrees) and Bhiwani (four degrees).

While Ambala (5.5 degrees) and Karnal (seven degrees) in Haryana also experienced cold night, in Punjab, Bathinda was recorded as the coldest place recording a low of 2.8 degrees Celsius.

Amritsar shivered at five degrees Celsius, Ludhiana at 5.6 degrees, Halwara 5.5 degrees, Gurdaspur at 5.8 degrees and Patiala at 6.9 degrees Celsius.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states recorded a low of 6.6 degrees Celsius.

MeT officials said that on Thursday, the maximum temperature in Chandigarh had dropped to 8.8 degrees Celsius, twelve notches below normal, a record in the last two decades.

Fog also continued to envelope most places in Haryana and Punjab, and visibility was low on Friday morning as well.