Cold wave persists in North India; toll at 46

North India continued to reel under an intense cold wave on Tuesday even as the death toll in the current spell rose to 46 with two more deaths being reported from Uttar Pradesh.

The national capital recorded a slight rise in minimum temperature to 4.3 degree Celsius as compared to 3.4 recorded on Monday.

The rise in temperature is due to the easterlies that have set in since Monday, because of which open areas in the capital were experiencing early morning fog, India Meteorologcal Director R D Singh said.

He said that the cold wave conditions prevailing a fews days back would have become more severe had the western disturbances crossed the capital, but this time all such disturbances, which bring in cold westerlies, just bypassed the capital resulting in a rainless November and December so far.

Fresh coldwave deaths were reported from Jhansi and J P Nagar districts in UP, taking the death toll in the state to 39 so far.

Meteorological office (Lucknow) Director R K Verma told UNI that the night temperature was expected to fall further in the days to come.

"The cold and dry weather conditions will persist, while light fog is likely to envelope early morning hours," he said.

Agra and Kanpur continued to remain the coldest places in UP, recording a minimum temperature of four degrees Celsius each in the past 24 hours, which was four and five degrees below normal respectively.

The mercury was also recorded below normal in Kanpur, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Varanasi, Faizabad, Bareilly and Allahabad districts.

Lucknow recorded a minimum temperature of seven degrees, one degree below normal.

Weathermen have predicted cloudy sky and dry weather at most places in the state in the next 24 hours.

Due to fog, several long distance trains passing through Lucknow's Charbagh Railway Station were delayed for several hours.

As per reports from Chandigarh, Northwest India continued to be in the grip of severe cold wave with the night temperature staying low even as a dense fog enveloped most parts of the region, affecting rail and road traffic.

In Haryana, the minimum hovered three degrees below normal at Karnal registering 4.7 degrees, followed by Ambala showing 5.7 degrees, one degree below normal.

Piercing cold wave lashed Chandigarh Union Territory and its adjoining areas in Punjab and Haryana with the city recording 4.6 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal.

Biting cold wave hit the entire Kashmir Valley with Srinagar recording minus 4.6 degrees, three degrees below normal, while Jammu was warmer at 8.9 degrees Celsius.

People in upper areas and mid hills in Himachal Pradesh reeled under the intensified cold wave. Bhuntar in Kullu district recorded minus 0.4 degrees, one degree below normal.

State capital Shimla reported 4.6 degrees, one degree above normal.

Cold wave conditions are likely to abate in Punjab and Himachal Pradesh during the next two days, the Weather office said.

Reports from Chandigarh say Jalandhar and its adjoining areas in Punjab continued to reel under the cold wave even though the city recorded a slight rise in the temperature on Tuesday.

However, fog and mist continued to adversely affect the road and train traffic, an official spokesman quoting meteorological data said.

With the temperature at Mount Abu, the only hill station in Rajasthan, remaining static at zero degrees Celsius for the past few days, the lakes surrounding the area have frozen, according to reports from Jaipur.

In a major relief to Tamil Nadu, which has been battered by successive spells of rainfall, the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal is slowly moving away from the coast and the chances of the system crossing between north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra coast has now receded.

The system, which lay centred about 300 km East-South East off Cuddalore on Monday, is likely to move slowly towards north and recurve later and move north-eastward.

However, under its influence, widespread rain with isloated heavy rainfall is likely to occur along the north Tamil Nadu coast during the next 24 hours, the sources added.

Heavy rainfall or thundershowers are likely in Chittoor, Prakasam, Guntur and Nellore districts of Andhra Pradesh during the next 24 hours.