Uttarakhand reels under intense cold

Dehradun: Uttarakhand reeled under intense cold wave today with some places recording sub-zero temperatures even as dry northwesterly winds swept different parts of the state adding to the chill.

Though it was a bright sunny day for Doonites, there was no respite from cold as icy winds blew all day. Cold day conditions prevailed in the plains with Haridwar and Udhamsingh Nagar districts wrapped in a thick blanket of fog. Almora was the coldest recording a temperature of 0.4 degrees Celsius followed by Mukteshwar which recorded a minimum of 0.9 degrees Celsius, MeT office Director Anand Sharma said. New Tehri shivered at 1.4 degrees Celsius while popular tourist spot Mussoorie recorded a minimum of 1.5 degrees Celsius, he said. Dehradun recorded a slight rise in minimum temperature from yesterday`s 3.1 degrees Celsius to 4.1 degrees Celsius due to a bright sunny day but it hardly gave a respite to residents with the icy winds blowing throughout the day. Mainly dry weather is predicted for the next couple of days which may also witness frost in the hills, the MeT official said, while advising farmers in the mountains to resort to light irrigation and mulching to prevent frost from affecting the crops. Noting that frost may make the roads in the hills extremely slippery, Sharma advised bikers to be extra cautious while travelling along the highways. PTI