Mercury rises in plains; cold persists in hills

A few parts of north India today reported below-normal temperatures even as the cold eased in intensity in the rest of the region.
Delhi reported normal temperatures with the maximum and minimum recorded at 26.8 and 11.7 degrees Celsius respectively on a clear, bright day.
Further north, although day temperatures registered a rise in mid and lower hills of Himachal Pradesh, cold conditions persisted in high altitude areas with Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district recording a low of -10.1 degrees, five degrees below normal.
Minimum temperatures hovered below normal in some parts of Punjab and Haryana where a nip in the air was palpable with the mercury registering a slide.

Amritsar in Punjab recorded the lowest temperature in the two states at 7 degrees which was a notch below normal.
Karnal in Haryana also experienced a cold night at 7.8 degrees, down three notches, while the mercury in Hisar fell by a notch to touch 10 degrees.