Title - Dec 13 coldest day of season

Chandigarh:City residents experienced the coldest day of the season with the Met Office recording minimum temperature at 11 degrees Celsius and maximum at 25 degrees Celsius today. Cold winds swept the city for the whole day and the people were forced to remain inside their homes.Many trains were affected due to fog in the vicinity. The Himalayan Queen was delayed by an hour while the morning Kalka Shatabdi was delayed by 15 minutes.There was thin traffic on the city roads. Those moving on two-wheelers had to cover themselves with extra layer of woollens. The worst affected were daily wage earners and roadside vendors."It's really cold and commuting on two-wheelers is very painful. But, we can't do much as tuition classes will surely have an effect on our board results," said Gaurav, a student who lives in Sector 50.Employees in offices huddled around heaters or blowers and had rounds of tea. Markets were almost deserted during the evening. Shopkeepers selling jackets, sweaters, geysers and convectors reported a brisk sale.For the poor in the city, there was no respite from the cold. Rickshaw pullers, slum dwellers and labourers waiting for jobs at roundabouts shivered throughout the day. For women and children living in slums and colonies, the day was spent collecting dry leaves and wood to be used for making a bonfire at night.

Met Office Director Surinder Pal Singh said rain was expected in the next 24 hours which would further drop the temperatures and fog would also became dense. He said the cold-wave conditions were likely to continue in the city for the next few days.

He said the clear skies in the day meant more cold in the evening. In the next three or four days the fog will ease. The cold-wave conditions will continue and fog is likely to return. The official confirmed that the ongoing weather conditions were just like "severe cold wave''.