Cold claims 7 lives in UP as north shivers

NEW DELHI, Jan 12:
The harsh winter weather in north claimed seven lives in Uttar Pradesh even as fog caused disruptions in rail and air schedules today amidst a forecast for rain or snowfall in some parts of the region in the coming days.
Delhi shivered under overcast skies today as a dip in the mercury added to the winter woes while early morning fog also hit rail operations.
The maximum temperature in the national capital was recorded five points below the season’s average at 16.2 degrees Celsius while the minimum dropped 1.5 degrees to settle at 5.7 degrees, two notches below the normal.
Fog affected visibility in the morning and 41 trains were running behind schedule by several hours. However, flight operations were smooth at Delhi airport, authorities said.
Kashmir continued to groan under the biting cold weather conditions with minimum temperatures hovering below freezing point across the Valley.
The weatherman has said that there is a possibility of light rain or snowfall at isolated places in Jammu and Kashmir over the next 24 hours.
With the weather having remained mostly dry so far, minimum temperatures in the Kashmir and Ladakh region continued to stay below freezing point. Many water bodies, including the famous Dal Lake, were partially frozen as the cold intensified.
Srinagar, the summer capital of J-K, recorded a low of -3.1 degrees, down by about a degree from the previous night’s -2.2 degrees.
Meanwhile, in UP, as many as seven persons succumbed to the bitter cold conditions, the MeT department said.
While five persons died due to cold in different parts of Bareilly district, two deaths were reported in Barabanki district.
Under the spell of dry weather prevailing in UP, fog was reported at most places.
The mercury fell in the Gorakhpur division but rose appreciably in the Lucknow, Allahabad and Kanpur divisions. The lowest minimum in the state was recorded at 3.6 degrees at Hamirpur.
The situation was no better in Punjab and Haryana, where day temperatures settled much below the normal while adverse weather conditions hit air and rail traffic. Thus, a few flights from Chandigarh were delayed today, said an official at the airport there.
While maximum temperatures have plummeted several notches below normal across the two neighbouring states, the minimum dropped at some places today, including at Narnaul in Haryana, which recorded the lowest temperature for the two states at 3.5 degrees, two notches below the normal.
Amritsar in Punjab registered a low of 5.8 degrees after a rise of two degrees in the mercury while the minimum at Patiala and Ludhiana was recorded at 6 and 7.8 degrees, respectively.
Rajasthan, too, continued to reel under the cold weather and also saw dense fog wreaking havoc with rail services.
Twenty-four trains of North-Western Railways were running late by between 45 minutes and 14 hours while four trains were cancelled and one had to be rescheduled in view of the fog in the northern areas.
Mount Abu, the lone hill station in Rajasthan, recorded a low of 2 degrees. (PTI)

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