New Delhi: Barring the national capital, most parts of North India on Friday witnessed rains or snowfall as temperatures remained at uncomfortable levels in the region.
Residents of Delhi experienced a warm day today with both minimum and maximum temperatures registered a slight increase.
Day temperature was recorded at 27.1 degree Celsius, which is two degrees higher than normal.
Minimum temperature also registered a rise of three degrees from normal at 13.9 deg C.
The cold wave persisted in most parts of Himachal Pradesh as tribal areas and higher reaches had another spell of moderate snowfall, while lower hills witnessed thunderstorm, accompanied by intermittent showers.
The sky remained heavily overcast in the region and sharp showers accompanied by high velocity icy winds lashed the region, forcing people to stay indoors.
Keylong and Kalpa in the tribal belt recorded 5 cm and 4 cm of snow respectively while Jubbal was wettest in the region with 188 mm rains.
Kalpa in Kinnaur district recorded a low of minus 5.6 deg C, followed by Manali 0.8 deg C, Shimla 3.1 deg C, Solan and Nahan 6.5 deg C, Bhuntar 7.1 deg C, Palampur 7.5 deg C and Dharamsala 8.2 deg C.
The local MeT office has warned of heavy snowfall in tribal areas and other higher hills and thunder squall/hail at some places in lower and mid hills during next 48 hours.
In Uttarakhand, fresh snowfall in the higher reaches and showers in the plains today brought back chilly conditions in the state.
High altitude areas including Badrinath, Kedarnath, Auli, Joshimath, Gangotri, Yamunotri, Harsil and Munsyari received fresh snowfall early this morning whereas intermittent rains lashed the plains including Dehradun and Haridwar adding to the cold, the MeT office said.
Big grey clouds hung over most of the towns in the plains
including Dehradun as the sun played hide and seek throughout the day.
Parts of Punjab and Haryana were lashed by rains while the minimum temperatures in both the state witnessed a slight increase.
Chandigarh was lashed by 7.3 mm of rain and the low here settled at 12.4 deg C, four notches above normal, the MeT said.
Amritsar registered a low of 11.4 deg C, up four degrees and received a rainfall of 6.6 mm. Ludhiana, too, recorded four degrees above normal low at 12.6 deg C and a rainfall of 7.2 mm.
Among other places in Punjab to be lashed by rains included Mohali, Phagwara, Madhopur and Hoshiarpur.
The MeT attributed present change in weather to a Western Disturbance over North Pakistan and neighbourhood and to an Upper Air Cyclonic Circulation which was active at Central Pakistan adjoining Rajasthan.
Kashmir Valley got a slight respite from the cold as the minimum temperature rose by couple of notches.
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, recorded a low of 0.5 deg C against minus 2.1 deg C previous night, a MET official said.
Gulmarg resort in north Kashmir was the coldest place in the Valley where mercury settled at minus 8.6 deg C, up by 1.4 notches.
Pahalgam resort in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 1.9 deg C compared to yesterday`s minus 5.4 deg C, he said.
Meanwhile, Leh and Kargil towns in ladakh region witnessed a slight increase in night temperatures. Leh recorded a low of minus 14.1 deg C while Kargil recorded minus 16.0 deg C, he added.
PTI
