New Delhi: The mercury went into a free fall in northern India as temperatures plummeted across the region with the minimum hitting a new low in Delhi while Srinagar experienced its coldest night of the season.
The national capital recorded its lowest minimum in a decade for the month of December as the mercury dipped to a chilly 2.4 degrees Celsius this morning, five degrees below normal. The minimum yesterday was at 4.5 degrees.
A thick blanket of fog accompanied by icy winds had the city shivering in the early hours with the maximum temperature in the last 24 hours recorded at 19.5 degrees, a notch below normal.
Minimum temperatures across the Kashmir and Ladakh regions took a tumble with several places, including Srinagar, recording their coldest night this season.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, saw the mercury dropping to -5.3 degrees from -3.7 degrees registered the night before.
Kargil in Ladakh was the coldest place in the state with the mercury at -18.9 degrees while Leh recorded its lowest minimum this winter at -17.7 degrees.
Himachal Pradesh appeared set for a `White New Year` with the higher reaches of the state experiencing another spell of mild snowfall even as the mercury hovered around freezing point in the middle and lower hills.
The tribal areas of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur districts received mild snowfall which caused a further drop in the mercury with the minimum ranging between -12 and -20 degrees in those parts. Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti and Kalpa in Kinnaur recorded lows of -8.9 and -5 degrees, respectively.
The sky remained partially overcast and icy, strong velocity winds swept the region, making the conditions favourable for rainfall and snow.
The weatherman, too, hinted at a likelihood of rainfall or snow at several places in the middle and higher hills over the coming 48 hours.
