Chilled winter and Snow continue to put life out of gear in North India. The Temperature fell well below zero in many parts. It was minus 15 degree in Keylong in Lahaul Spiti, Himachal Pradesh and minus 14 degrees in Leh. Punjab, Haryana and parts of Uttar Pradesh also witnessed sub zero temperatures.
Snow piling up in the country’s mountain regions is a boon for most tourists and those dependent on the trade but for other locals these are trying times.
Snowfall for days has fouled power and water supply some tourists have been left stranded at cut off spots.
The cold wave has intensified in Himachal Pradesh. In Lahaul-Spiti’s Keylong the minimum temperature dropped to 15 degrees Celsius below zero making it the coldest night of the season.
Two more people died in Shimla district taking the death toll due to cold past 10 ever since it started snowing in the Himachal capital nearly a week ago.
Water in pipelines turned to ice in many localities leading supply disruptions since the last one week. The administration is making efforts to mitigate difficulties.
Tourists are making a beeline for scenic locales like Kullu and Manali but the mercury slips below zero during mornings and evenings, road ice over causing difficulties for motorists.
The situation is acute in Manali as skidding of vehicles leads to long jams and people getting stuck for hours.
In Jammu & Kashmir, several places registered their lowest temperature this season on Thursday. The minimum in Srinagar was minus 6.3 degrees Celsius. Leh was the coldest in the state with the mercury slipping to minus 14 degrees Celsius.
In the national capital, cold kept giving people the shivers despite the minimum temperature creeping up.
Fog led to delay and cancellations in certain train services but air services remained unaffected.
The met department has said the next few days do not promise any relief from the chilly weather.
The melting snow in the upper reaches of Uttarakhand coupled with winds blowing down the plains ensured a bone chilling Friday in almost all of Uttar Pradesh.
The cold wave prevailing in Haryana has also ensured a drop in temperature in most places. Narnaul saw the minimum at zero degrees Celsius, Hissar at 1.1 degrees Celsius and Karnal recorded 1.7 degrees Celsius.
Winter is making its presence felt in Rajasthan as well. In Sikar, minimum was recorded at minus 1 degree Celsius while in Churu it was 0.1 degrees Celsius.
Clearly all of North India is in the icy grip of an extended cold wave which is unlikely to abate till the last week of this month.
It is advisable to check the weather before heading outdoors and making travel plans.