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Northern India still in the grip of cold wave

Heavy snowfall in Shimla and Srinagar has disrupted normal life. Snowfall continued in the hill town of Shimla for the 6th consecutive day on Feb 8. Roads were blocked in Kashmir. It is the heaviest snowfall in the past five decades in Srinagar.

          New Delhi: Northern India continues to shiver in cold wave with temperatures plummeting far below normal at most places. In Delhi, minimum temperature which touched around 1 degree Celsius a few days back - first in several decades - is still far below the average normal at 5.6 degrees. Chilly winds worsened the cold wave conditions. Amritsar recorded the lowest temperature at 0.1 degree Celsius, six notches below normal, while Adampur shivered at 1.8 degrees Celsius. Piercing cold wave also lashed Haryana as the mercury hovered at 3 and 3.2 degrees at Ambala and Karnal, respectively. Rajasthan is also experiencing intense cold wave. The hill resort Mount Abu reeled under freezing temperature. Cold wave also swept most places in Himachal Pradesh. Keylong and Kinnaur towns continued to be under the impact of severe cold wave with minus 11.3 degrees and minus 7.2 degrees, respectively. The Jammu-Srinagar Highway was reopened today after remaining closed for seven consecutive days following heavy snowfall and landslides. According to the State Traffic Department spokesman, the traffic on the arterial road was restricted to one-way. Over 1700 vehicles, mostly trucks carrying essential supplies to Kashmir, were allowed to move ahead, he added. No vehicle was allowed from Srinagar to Jammu on the highway. The 300-km highway was closed on February 3 after

Cold wave gripping North India has influenced the weather in Mumbai, which experienced cold wave like conditions almost after four decades.

heavy snowfall and landslides at Panthal, Ramban, Patnitop and Jawahar Tunnel. The highway is the only road link between the Kashmir Valley and the rest of the country. The hill resort of Pahalgam recorded minus 16 degrees followed by Kupwara at minus 8.4 degrees, Bhaderwah at minus 7.8 degrees, Banihal at minus 7.7 degrees, Qazigund at minus 6.8 degrees, Batote at minus 4 degrees and Srinagar at minus 3.4 degrees. The cold spell in the North had its effect on Maharashtra also where Nasik reeled under a low of minus 4.6 degrees. Mumbai recorded the lowest temperature in 48 years at 8.5 degrees.
February 10, 2008