Cold wave sweeps Delhi; Kashmir's harshest winter period begins

'Chillai-Kalan' began on a dry note even as cold wave conditions continue to prevail in the Valley and Ladakh region as the minimum temperature settled several notches below the freezing point.

File Photo: AFP/ CHANDAN KHANNA

New Delhi: Cold wave conditions continued in north Indian states, with minimum temperatures in Delhi remaining below 5 degree Celsius and starting of Kashmir's 40-day harshest winter period, known in the local parlance as 'Chillai-Kalan'. The minimum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 4.7 degree Celsius, a slight increase from the previous day. The maximum temperature plunged to settle at 20.6 degrees Celsius, a notch below the season's average, the weather office said. Officials have forecast clear skies in Delhi for Saturday along with moderate fog in the morning and haze and smoke thereafter. Cold wave conditions are likely at isolated places with temperatures hovering between 21 and 4 degree Celsius. In Kashmir, 'Chillai-Kalan' began on a dry note even as cold wave conditions continue to prevail in the Valley and Ladakh region as the minimum temperature settled several notches below the freezing point. 'Chillai-Kalan' is a period during which snowfalls are frequent and maximum temperature drops considerably. It ends on January 31, but cold wave continues even after that in Kashmir. Officials said while the weather remained dry across Kashmir, temperatures dipped at most places last night and settled several notches below the freezing point. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 4.4 degree Celsius last night, officials said. The minimum temperature was around three notches below the normal for this time of the season. In south Kashmir's Qazigund - the gateway town to the Valley - mercury fell to a low of minus 4.7 degree Celsius, while the nearby Kokernag town registered a low of minus 4.0 degree Celsius last night. Kupwara in north Kashmir recorded a low of minus 5.8 degree Celsius last night, officials said. Leh district of Ladakh region recorded a low of minus 12.7 degrees Celsius last night - up from minus 14.7 degrees Celsius the previous night, the officials said. Cold wave swept most parts of Punjab and Haryana with Adampur shivering at 0.9 degree Celsius. Severe cold conditions prevailed in Faridkot and Bathinda too, which recorded minimum temperatures of 2 degree Celsius and 2.8 degree Celsius respectively, a Meteorological Department official. Amritsar was at 3.3 degree Celsius, Ludhiana was at 3.5 degree Celsius, Patiala was at 6.1 degree Celsius and Pathankot was at degree Celsius. In Haryana, Narnaul was the coldest place recording a low of 2.5 degree Celsius, while Hisar and Sirsa, too, were gripped by intense cold conditions recording their respective minimums at 2.7 degree Celsius and 2.6 degree Celsius. Piercing cold wave also swept Rohtak (4 deg C), Karnal (3.6 deg C) and Bhiwani (6.3 deg C), while Ambala's low settled close to normal at 7 degree Celsius. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, reeled under biting cold recording a low of 5 degree Celsius. The ongoing cold weather conditions are likely to continue in Haryana and Punjab over the next few days, the MeT official said. Parts of Uttar Pradesh also shivered amid intense cold, with Muzaffarnagar recording a minimum temperature of 1.2 degrees Celsius -- the lowest in the state. The night temperatures in Allahabad, Lucknow, Bareilly, Varanasi, Faizabad, Kanpur, Agra and Meerut divisions were below normal, the meteorological department said. Weather was dry over the state with shallow to moderate fog occurring at isolated places, it said. The weather office has forecast cold wave conditions at isolated places in west Uttar Pradesh over the next two days and shallow to moderate fog at certain places.