New Delhi, Jan 18: The cold wave tightened its grip over most parts of North India today with the mercury plummeting by several notches.
After three days of respite, temperatures dipped in Kashmir bringing back the chill in the Valley. Mercury in the summer capital Srinagar settled at minus 1.4 degrees Celsius, a drop of 0.2 degrees from yesterday, the official said.
He said the minimum temperature in the famous skiing resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir plunged to minus 12.4 degrees Celsius, a drop of 3.7 degrees from yesterday.
In the south Kashmir tourist resort of Pahalgam, the minimum temperature was recorded at minus 12.2 degrees Celsius.
The south Kashmir gateway town of Qazigund recorded a low of minus 4.2 degrees Celsius, while north Kashmir's frontier town of Kupwara recorded a minimum of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius.
Leh town in remote Ladakh region recorded a minimum of minus 19.9 degrees Celsius, a drop of 11.3 degrees from yesterday, a MeT official said.
He said the minimum temperature in the nearby Kargil district, also in Ladakh region, slipped to a low of minus 19.0 degrees Celsius.
Cold wave continued to sweep parts of Rajasthan where Eranpura Road in Pali district was the coldest with a minimum temperature of two degrees Celsius.
Churu was also cold at 2.7 degrees Celsius, according to the MeT department here.
The Pink City of Jaipur recorded a low of 2.9 degrees Celsius, while Vanasthali had a minimum of 3.6 degrees Celsius.
Bikaner and Sikar recorded respective minimums of 4.4 and 5 degrees Celsius.
Other places in the state recorded night temperatures in the range of 5.5 degrees Celsius to 9.2 degrees Celsius.
The national capital was engulfed in a blanket of fog disrupting rail and air traffic even as the mercury plummeted sharply leaving Delhiites shivering.
The minimum was recorded at 5.6 degree Celsius as compared to yesterday's minimum of 9.3 degree Celsius. The fog cover in the city disrupted air, rail and road traffic.
Over 35 trains were delayed in the morning due to dense fog in Delhi and parts of North India.
According to a Northern Railway spokesperson, the trains which recorded disruptions due to fog included the Rajdhani Express trains from Patna, Howrah, Mumbai and Bhubaneshwar.
These trains were running over two hours behind schedule while the other mail and express trains were reported to be running four to six hours behind their scheduled time.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 5.6 degree Celsius as compared to yesterday's minimum of 9.3 degree Celsius.
Minimum temperatures in Punjab and Haryana hovered above the normal today providing much needed relief to people from the cold wave.
Chandigarh recorded a minimum of 10 degrees Celsius, four notches above normal, the MeT department here said.
Ambala in Haryana also recorded an identical minimum at 10 degrees Celsius, up four notches, while Hisar's low of 7.7 degrees Celsius settled two degrees above normal. The minimum at Karnal was 7.4 degrees Celsius, up one degree.
In Punjab, Patiala registered a low of 9.1 degrees Celsius, up three, while Ludhiana's minimum at 8.6 degrees Celsius was two notches above normal. Amritsar recorded a minimum of 4.4 degrees Celsius, up one degree.
