Slight respite from cold in Raj; Mt Abu coldest

There was some respite from cold wave conditions in Rajasthan today as the plains witnessed a rise in temperature even as popular hill station Mount Abu remained the coldest place in the state with a low of 3.4 degrees, a MeT report said.
Fog in neighbouring states of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh caused poor visibility leading to delay of 12 NWR trains and road transportation, an official spokesman said.
Twelve trains were running late by 35 minutes to 7 hours while four trains were rescheduled due to fog, the spokesman said.
Varanasi-Jodhpur train is running late by 7 hours followed by Jammu Tawi-Ajmer by 6 hours, Rishikesh- Sriganganagar by five and a half hours, Hawara-Jodhpur and Udhampur-Ahmedabad by 3 hours each.

In the plains, the mercury shot up by a few notches at most places as the sun shone brightly.
Churu remained the coldest place with 4.5 degree Celsius, about 0.1 degree more than the previous night.

Pilani recorded a minimum of 5.6 degrees, Udaipur 5.8, Sikar 6, Jodhpur 7.5, and Jaipur 9 degree Celsius.
Elsewhere, the minimum temperature varied between 8 and 11 degrees.
Considering the clear sky and abatement of northerly cold wind pattern, the mercury may rise by few notches more in next 24 hours in the state, a forecast said.