Chandigarh, Jan 2: Normal life was thrown out of gear as intense cold conditions prevailed in most parts of Punjab and Haryana with mercury dropping by up to three notches below normal in the two states.
Due to dense fog and mist which resulted in low visibility, rail, road and air traffic remained disrupted as many trains and flights were either rescheduled or cancelled for various destinations.
People will not get any respite from icy winds for the time being as the MeT department in its forecast said cold wave will continue for next 2 to 3 days and maximum temperature will remain well below 16 degrees Celsius in plain areas of Punjab and Haryana.
"Current weather conditions will continue to prevail for next 2-3 days in Punjab and Haryana," Chandigarh MeT Department, Director, Surinder Pal said today. Fog and mist will also occur during next 24 hours, the MeT Department said.
The MeT Department has also warned of ground frost that may occur at a few places in both states.
Narnaul in Haryana remained the coldest place in plains of both states with minimum at 2.4 deg C, down by three notches below normal.
Bhiwani and Hisar had a low of 3.6 deg C and 4 deg C respectively, while Ambala and Karnal shivered at 5.5 deg C and 5 deg C, down by two notches below normal.
Union Territory of Chandigarh had a low of 4.2 deg C, dipping by a degree below normal.
In Punjab, Amritsar recorded minimum temperature of 7.2 deg C, up by 4 degrees above normal, while Ludhiana and Patiala had a low of 7 deg C and 5.5 deg C respectively.
The maximum temperature in Punjab and Haryana has also observed sharp drop with mercury at most of the places in two states dropping by up to whopping 11 notches below normal.
On Tuesday, Patiala had a maximum of 9.5 deg C, down by 11 degrees below normal. Similarly Chandigarh and Ambala had a maximum of 11.3 deg C and 10.8 deg C
