Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Jan 11: Severe cold conditions intensified across large parts of north India on Saturday, with dense fog blanketing several regions, disrupting visibility and triggering multiple road accidents that left at least four people dead and around 30 injured.
The Kashmir Valley continued to reel under intense cold, with temperatures dipping further below freezing. Delhi recorded its coldest morning of the ongoing winter season, while Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Jharkhand also reported biting cold and foggy conditions.
In Punjab, Hoshiarpur recorded a bone-chilling minimum temperature of 1.1 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Dense fog led to a collision between a car and a bus on the Hoshiarpur–Dasuya road, killing four men and injuring another, police said. Several other places in the state also recorded low temperatures, with Amritsar at 1.3 degrees Celsius and Bathinda at 3.4 degrees Celsius. Foggy conditions were reported in neighbouring Haryana as well.
Rajasthan witnessed multiple fog-related accidents. About 25 people were injured when a bus collided with a pickup vehicle on the Jaipur–Delhi NH-48 due to low visibility. In another incident in Jaisalmer, a bus hit a police vehicle, injuring four policemen, including a station house officer. Cold wave conditions persisted across the state, with Dausa recording the lowest minimum temperature at 3.5 degrees Celsius. The IMD said dense fog and cold day conditions are likely to continue in parts of western, northern and eastern Rajasthan in the coming days.
Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 4.2 degrees Celsius, 2.7 notches below the seasonal average and the lowest so far this winter. The IMD issued a yellow alert for moderate to dense fog and cold wave conditions for Sunday and Monday. Air quality in the national capital remained in the ‘very poor’ category, with an AQI of 366 on Saturday morning.
In Kashmir, the harsh ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ period continued, with Shopian recording the lowest temperature in the Valley at minus 8.2 degrees Celsius. Parts of the Dal Lake and other water bodies froze due to the intense cold. Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.7 degrees Celsius, while Gulmarg, Pahalgam and Sonamarg also witnessed sub-zero temperatures. The IMD said the weather is likely to remain dry but cloudy till January 21.
Himachal Pradesh also experienced piercing cold, with several stations reporting sub-zero temperatures. Kukumseri was the coldest place in the state at minus 10.9 degrees Celsius. The IMD predicted severe cold wave conditions at isolated places in Chamba district and issued a yellow warning for dense fog in parts of the state.
In Jharkhand, the mercury dipped below 10 degrees Celsius in eight districts, with Khunti recording the lowest temperature at 1.4 degrees Celsius. A yellow alert for cold wave conditions was issued for Gumla, Ranchi and Khunti districts.
Meanwhile, parts of southern India also witnessed cooler-than-normal conditions. Minimum temperatures in parts of Karnataka were three to six degrees below normal, with isolated fog reported. The IMD said cold wave conditions may persist for another day in north interior Karnataka.
Additionally, a depression over the Bay of Bengal is likely to cross the north Sri Lanka coast, which could bring heavy rainfall to isolated places in Tamil Nadu and influence rain patterns over Karnataka, the weather department said.