Chandigarh, Dec 31 (IANS): Haryana's Hisar town recorded a sub-zero temperature on Thursday that broke the record for the coldest December night in 47 years, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.

Hisar recorded a bone-chilling minus 1.2 degrees Celsius, eight degrees below normal.

The IMD said it was the coldest night of the month in Hisar since 1973 when the mercury plummeted to minus 1.5 degrees.

Hisar was the coldest place in the region as cold wave conditions prevailed across the plains of Punjab and Haryana in the past 24 hours.

Haryana's Narnaul saw a minimum of minus 0.5 degree Celsius, while it was zero degree in Punjab's Bathinda.

Chandigarh recorded a minimum temperature of 2.7 degrees, while it was 1.6 degrees in the holy city of Amritsar and 4.1 degrees in Ludhiana.

Chandigarh and Amritsar were colder in the day than Shimla. Likewise, many places in the plains of north India were colder than hilly tourist destinations in Himachal Pradesh, the Met office said.