Chandigarh recorded the season’s coldest night on Sunday as the minimum temperature hit a low of two degrees Celsius. However, what came as a relief for the people of the city was a sunny day throughout without any fog.
As intense cold wave swept across Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, the minimum temperatures at most places were recorded between two and four degrees Celsius, weather officials said on Sunday. Dense fog prevailed in Punjab with visibility reduced to less than 50 metres at some places in the morning. Foggy conditions and a cold wave continued to affect normal life in Punjab and Haryana though the situation improved in the afternoon at several places with sun coming out.
Amritsar city recorded the maximum temperature of just 10.6 degrees Celsius, 8 degrees below normal, Saturday, making it the coldest day of the month. The minimum temperature here Sunday was four degrees. In neighbouring Himachal Pradesh, an intense cold wave tightened its grip with Keylong recording a freezing minus 10.6 degrees Celsius, though there was no fresh rain and snowfall across the State.
Popular tourist spots like Shimla, Kufri, Narkanda, Fagu, Kasauli, Dalhousie and Manali have been experiencing long sunny days for almost a week. The night temperatures in most of the towns remained close to or below sub-zero. Shimla shivered at 1.9 degrees Celsius, a fall from Saturday’s three degrees. Most of the high-altitude areas in the district experienced extremely cold conditions, with mercury remaining five to 10 degrees Celsius below the freezing point.