New Delhi: People shivered as freezing cold wave continued to grip
north India on Sunday. In the national Capital, the minimum temperature was 8.4 degree Celsius and people lit bonfire to warm themselves. "The weather is very
cold. Since 3:30 in the morning, we are sitting beside bonfire. We are hoping
that we will be able to see the sun in but it seems to be playing the game of hide
and seek. We are not able to sleep because of cold," said Murari Lal, a resident
of Delhi. In Uttar Pradesh, most of the cities remained under thick fog. The
temperature ranged between 9 to 11 degrees Celsius at 8:30 today morning. The
sky was clear in Varanasi, Allahabad and adjoining places. The met office has
predicted foggy condition to prevail for the next two days. Most places in
Uttarakhand today got a temporary respite from the severe cold condition with day
temperature rising by 2 to 5 degree Celsius following sunshine. In Jammu and
Kashmir, three persons have died due to severe cold in Jammu Division. While two
died in Udhampur District, the body of an unidentified person was recovered by
police from the outskirts of Jammu. Severe cold wave has been sweeping across the
Jammu region during the past three days, which has resulted in sharp dip in the day
temperature, recorded at 14.5 degree Celsius. In Leh town, the mercury dipped
down to minus 23.6 degrees Celsius. "Leh recorded a minimum temperature of minus
23.6 degrees Celsius which is the coldest of this winter," a MET department official
said. The cold wave has also intensified in Gulmarg and Pahalgam resorts in Kashmir,
where mercury plunged 12 degrees below freezing point. This was the coldest
night in both tourist places this winter. Srinagar, which witnessed a minimum of
0.8 degree above melting point of ice yesterday, plunged to minus 2.4 degrees
Celsius today. Meanwhile, the hill station Mount Abu in Rajasthan shivered as
the mercury plunged below the minus mark on Saturday. The temperature in the
region recorded temperature of minus 3.4 degree Celsius. "Today's temperature is
minus 3.4 degree Celsius, which is the lowest of this year. Since last 15 days, the
temperature is going in minus. But today's is the lowest that is minus 3.4 degree
Celsius," said Vijay Singh, a Metrological Department official, Mount Abu.
