New Delhi:
Cold weather conditions showed little sign of abating in northern India today where three persons died in Uttar Pradesh as rainfall lashed the plains to further add to the winter chill.
Although Delhi saw conditions improving slightly, the neighbouring states of Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh experienced a worsening of the weather under overcast skies and a spell of rain.
The maximum in the national capital, which had dipped substantially below the normal in the past few days, was at 21 degrees Celsius today while the minimum was recorded at 8.6 degrees. The maximum and minimum both were one notch above normal.
Light to moderate rainfall and thundershowers occurred at a few places in eastern and western Uttar Pradesh as the cold wave refused to ease in the state.
The bleak weather in the state brought tragedy to Barabanki district where two persons, including a woman, reportedly succumbed in the cold. A third victim, a 55-year-old man, was killed in the district when the wall of a mud house collapsed in the rain, sources said.
Najibabad received 50mm rainfall while also recording the lowest temperature in the state at 7 degrees.
Further north, although it was a bright, sunny morning in Kashmir Valley, there was no respite from cold as the mercury stayed below freezing point.
Srinagar recorded a low of -3.6 degrees as against -3.5 degrees the previous night while the Pahalgam hill resort saw the minimum settle at -9.7 degrees. The mercury had been recorded at -9 degrees there the night before.
The mercury in Ladakh's Leh dipped by almost three degrees to settle at a low of -11.2 degrees as compared to -8.5 degrees yesterday.
The nearby Kargil town was the coldest recorded place in the state at a low of -18.2 degrees, down over five notches from the previous night's -12.8 degrees.
The hill state of Himachal Pradesh saw maximum temperatures rise by about five to eight degrees with the inclement weather giving way to bright sunshine.
Vehicular traffic was restored on the Hindustan-Tibet National Highway, which was closed beyond Dhalli due to heavy snowfall yesterday.
But there was no major change in minimum temperatures which stayed below normal in most parts of the state.
Bharmaur, Keylong and Kalpa recorded minimums of -11, -9.1 and -3.6 degrees, respectively, while Manali shivered at -2.6 degrees.
All natural sources of water like lakes, springs and rivulets were frozen in the high-altitude tribal areas even as Paonta Sahib in Sirmaur district received 18mm rainfall.
Chilly weather continued to trouble Punjab and Haryana with the mercury registering a drop following overnight showers.
Adampur in Punjab recorded the lowest temperature for the two neighbouring states with a low of 3 degrees. Hisar in Haryana braved the cold at 3.6 degrees.
The Union Territory and common capital of Chandigarh received 3.8mm rain followed by Ambala with 0.5mm.
There was no relief from the cold in Rajasthan with icy winds sweeping the desert state where Mount Abu saw the mercury settle at 0.4 degrees.
Although there was a slight improvement in the minimum, there was no respite in the state from icy winds.
And, due to the dense fog and mist, North Western Railways was today forced to reschedule three trains while over a dozen others were running late.
Buses on Jaipur-Delhi, Jaipur-Udaipur, Jaipur-Kota and Jaipur-Agra highways were seen stranded due to poor visibility this morning, transport department sources said.