Title - North India shivers its ways into 2013

North India shivered due to the bone-chilling cold on Tuesday as minimum temperatures fell across the region.Delhi ushered in the New Year amid extreme cold and dense fog with the mercury plummeting to the season’s lowest of 4 degrees Celsius.Tuesday’s minimum was three degrees below normal and down from the previous day’s minimum of 5.5, which was the previous lowest for the season. The mercury dropped sharply in parts of Rajasthan with Churu recording a freezing minimum of 0.7 degree. Pilani recorded a low of 1.4, while Sriganganagar had a minimum temperature of 4.3.According to the weatherman, State capital Jaipur along with Bikaner recorded a minimum temperature of 4.5. Chittorgarh had a low of 6.6 degrees, while Dabok touched a low of 6.8. Jaisalmer recorded a minimum temperature of 7.3 degrees and Ajmer 7.5.Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh continued to reel under dense fog even as intense cold hit normal life, with air, rail and road traffic going haywire in the region due to reduced visibility. A thick blanket of fog enveloped the entire region affecting all modes of traffic, officials said here.Most flights remained grounded at Chandigarh airport and several trains passing through the region, including the Howrah Express, Malwa Express, Tata Moori, Barmer Express and Shan-e-Punjab, were running hours behind schedule, they said. The minimum temperatures hovered between one degree above normal to four notches below normal in most parts of Punjab and Haryana, the weatherman said.

Narnaul was the coldest place in the region at 0.7 degree, four notches below normal. Bhiwani settled at a low of 3 degrees, while the minimum at Karnal was 4.4 degrees, three notches below normal.

Hisar braved a low of 4.8 degree Celsius, followed by 5.2 degrees at Amritsar, two notches above normal, 5.9 degrees at Patiala and 6.3 degrees temperature at Ambala.

Chandigarh had a low of 6.9 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal, followed by 7 degrees Celsius in Ludhiana. Tripping of power and low pressure water supply compounded the problems of people in the region.

The weatherman has forecast dry weather in the region during the next two days with foggy conditions prevailing and minimum temperature plummeting in most parts of Punjab and Haryana. — PTI