Chill back in North, two more die in UP
Winter chill returned on Sunday in most of the Northern states as the cold wave pushed mercury to record lows in Shimla and Pahalgam and claimed two more lives in Uttar Pradesh.
Two more persons died — one each from Hardoi and Deoria — in Uttar Pradesh, taking the death toll in the state this winter to 132, officials said.
Winds brought back chill in the air in the national capital with the day temperature dropping to 18.2ºC, three degrees below normal, from Saturday’s 21.3ºC.
The Kashmir Valley was gripped by an intense cold wave with temperature coming down to a record low of minus 16.1ºC in Pahalgam resort, resulting in partial freezing of Dal lake and other water bodies in the state, a Met official said.
Pahalgam in south Kashmir recorded its coldest night of this winter as mercury plunged by nearly 14ºC since the previous night.
Gulmarg in north Kashmir also saw a sharp dip in minimum temperature as mercury fell to 14.2ºC below freezing point compared to Saturday’s -10.6 ºC.
Srinagar also saw the night temperature settle at minus 3.7ºC. Kupwara froze at minus 8.1ºC, while Qazigund recorded a minimum of minus 7.6ºC. However, residents of Ladakh, which is the coldest region in the state, got some respite from the cold wave as night temperature increased by a couple of degrees in both Leh and Kargil district town headquarters.
While Kargil recorded a minimum of minus 13.4ºC compared to Saturday’s -16.4ºC, Leh had a night temperature of -8.0ºC-1.4ºC higher than Saturday night.
The sudden plunge in the minimum temperature across the Valley was due to the heavy snowfall on Friday, which had brought the minimum temperature close to freezing point.
After three days of rain and snow, weather in Himachal Pradesh cleared on Sunday but blocked roads and sub-zero temperatures in higher reaches affected normal life.
All roads beyond Shimla were blocked due to heavy snow, while traffic to Manali, Dharamshala and Chail was disrupted because of slippery roads.
Shimla experienced its coldest night in four years with mercury settling at -3.3ºC, five notches below normal.
The tourist resorts of Kufri, Fagu and Narkanda were covered under a thick snow blanket with Solang ski slopes receiving 120cm to 150 cm of snow.
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