A day before French President Francois Hollande and Prime Minister Narendra Modi would meet in Chandigarh, the region reeled under freezing cold conditions with the mercury hovering well below normal level in most areas even as a thick cover of fog engulfed the region, affecting normal life on Saturday.
The minimum temperature in most areas dropped to several notches below normal. Foggy weather prevailed in the region early today disrupting normal life and affecting air, rail and road traffic.
Piercing cold wave swept the Union Territory of Chandigarh, where the minimum temperature settled at 3.2 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal, the MeT Department said.
There was no relief from biting cold conditions even during the day for Chandigarh residents as icy cold winds restricted the maximum temperature to 13.7 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal.
Adding to the intensity of the ongoing cold wave, the maximum temperatures in most parts of Punjab and Haryana have also dropped sharply in the past one week.
Amritsar in Punjab reeled under severe chill with the city recording a low of 3.5 degrees Celsius. There was no relief for the residents of ludhiana and Patiala, with both towns recording below normal minimum temperatures of 4.6 and 6.5 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The MeT department, in its forecast, has said dry weather conditions are likely to prevail till Sunday across Punjab and Haryana while foggy weather is also likely to prevail at some places in early morning and late evening hours.