Cold wave grips most of north India, Lucknow at 0.1° Celsius

Lucknow:  The cold snap bit deeper into large swathes of north India, and particularly severely into Lucknow where its coldest day in the last three years saw the mercury fall to 0.1 degree Celsius. Uttar Pradesh had previously experienced a similar drop in temperature in 2013.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced that temperatures could dip further on January 15 and that minimum temperatures could be below normal in most parts of the country till January 21. While Rajasthan's only hill station, Mount Abu, recorded -0.5 degree Celsius, Udaipur recorded the season's lowest temperature at 2.2 degree C. The minimum temperature in Jaipur was 4 degree C. According to the weather office, the state could experience ground frost over the next 24 hours. A severe cold wave is likely at a few places in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, and a cold wave at a few places in Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and interior Odisha during the next 2-3 days," an IMD official said, adding that north India could experience normal rainfall during the next two weeks.

In Haryana, Narnaul was the coldest place in the region. The temperature in Nainital, Mussourie and Haridwar in Uttarakhand also dipped below zero following heavy snowfall in many regions. According to the IMD, Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh will receive rainfall on January 15 and 16. The rains would drop the speed of west-northwesterly winds from J&K due to western disturbances. This could have a combined effect on Delhi's weather and help temperatures rise," a weather expert said. Winter in the valley has been extremely harsh this season with Leh town recording the coldest night of the season at minus 17.7° Celsius.