Mercury again dips to zero in Kanpur

The cold wave now prevailing in north India is showing no signs of relenting with the mercury once again plummeting to zero degree Celsius in Kanpur after a gap of ten days, intensifying the severe cold in and around the industrial hub of Uttar Pradesh.

Apart from the zero degree Celsius on January 10, Kanpur had recorded a minimum of 0.6 degree Celsius on January 17, sources in the meteorological office said.

Kanpur recorded a minimum of 5.6 degree Celsius on Saturday night providing some relief from the bitter cold. However, the mercury dipped once again on Sunday night, and a thick fog and icy winds disrupted normal life again.

Educational institutions, which were closed for the past 20 days because of the cold, reopened on Monday but attendance was thin.

The body of a man, believed to have died of cold, was found near the university. An identity card bearing the name of Dalbir Singh of the Border Security Force was found on his person, police sources said.

The cold wave has resulted in fog, which has reduced visibility and disrupted rail, road and air traffic with several trains running hours behind schedule.

Capital Delhi continued to reel under intense cold wave conditions with a dense fog bringing normal life to a standstill and frequent power cuts adding to the woos.

Both incoming and outgoing air traffic was virtually paralysed for 12 hours from 2222 IST on Sunday as a result of which 11 international and six domestic flights were diverted to other airports.

The first flight could take off from the airport only at 1008 IST on Monday from the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

Northern Railway had to reschedule 11 trains and as many as six had to be cancelled. Chaos reigned supreme at the three main railway stations in Delhi as people were seen moving from one place to another seeking information about their trains.

Several bonfires were lit on the roads on Sunday night to provide some relief to beggars and homeless people.

Dense fog once again threw normal life out of gear at most places in Punjab and Haryana.

According to the meteorological department, a thick blanket of fog engulfed several railway stations including Bathinda, Amritsar, Halwara, Sirsa, Ambala and Chandigarh.

School children and office goers in Chandigarh were the worst hit by the fog. The night temperature made people shiver as the mercury dropped to 2.4 degree Celsius.

The mercury plummeted by three degrees in Amritsar touching 1.7 degree Celsius while Ludhiana with of 2.3 degree Celsius and Patiala with 4.2 degree Celsius, were down by three and four degrees, respectively.

In Haryana, Ambala and Hisar recorded minimum temperatures of 3.7 degree Celsius and 4.0 degree Celsius (three below normal), respectively.

The cold wave swept most parts of the Kashmir valley with Srinagar recording a below normal minimum at minus 2.6 degree Celsius while Jammu at 3.1 degree Celsius, was five degrees below normal.

In Himachal Pradesh, Bhuntar and Sundernagar recorded minimums of 0.2 degree Celsius and minus 0.4 degree Celsius, respectively. In comparison, state capital Simla was warmer recording a low of 8.4 degree Celsius, six above normal.

The Met Office has forecast mainly dry weather in Himachal while fog and low clouds are likely at most places in Punjab and Haryana over the next two days.

With the minimum temperature still hovering under five degree Celsius, there was no let up in the cold wave condition in Bihar.

After a foggy start that lasted till noon, bright sunshine brought some relief to the people in the state capital Patna with the maximum temperature rising to 16.7 degree Celsius. The minimum temperature, however, remained at 4.5 degree Celsius.

On Sunday night, Gaya recorded a temperature of 5.5 degree Celsius while Bhagalpur recorded 4.2 degree Celsius, met office sources said.

Meteorological department officials did not expect any relief from the cold wave conditions in the near future.