Zeenews Bureau
New Delhi: Cold wave continues to spread havoc in Northern India with dense fog and low visibility hitting normal life and disrupting movement of trains and flight operations in most parts of the region.
Reports on Monday claimed that severe cold has claimed the lives of at least 140 people in this season so far as rain coupled with snowfall aggravated the cold wave. Cold wave conditions continued unabated in Kashmir Valley with minimum temperatures remaining several degrees below the freezing point.
Apart from snow, Kashmir is also facing a power crisis. Two people are reported to have died due to the cold in Kashmir.
Meanwhile, dense fog enveloped many parts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh today affecting normal life even as bitter cold persisted in the region.
Heavy snowfall has disrupted life in Himachal Pradesh, with temperature in Kangra dipping to -4.0 degree Celsius yesterday. In Manali, the temperature recorded was around -7.0 degree Celsius. Dharamshala experienced snowfall of upto 4 feet in the upper terrains and 1 foot in lower areas.
Heavy snowfall has disrupted life in Himachal Pradesh, with temperature in Kangra dipping to -4.0 degree Celsius.
Punjab continues to reel under harsh cold conditions. Pathankot yesterday experienced its first snow fall in decades, a phenomenon which the Met dismissed as `freak` happening due to change in wind directions. In Ludhiana the temperature was recorded at 6.0 degrees and Pathankot dipped to 3.0 degree minimum.
In Delhi, the minimum temperature settled at 6 degree Celsius and those bearing the brunt of the cold are the homeless, as is the case every year.
The MeT department has issued an advisory warning land and air transport systems of the state may be disrupted as the western disturbances, which cause rains and snowfall, over the state are likely to intensify.
Fog has affected normal movement of trains passing through various states and many were delayed by hours. It reduced visibility at Amritsar, Ludhiana, Patiala and Jalandhar while in Haryana, it prevailed in Rohtak, Karnal, Ambala, Panipat and Kurukshetra.
