New Delhi:
The Cold wave has intensified its grip over north India where the toll mounted to 326 today with 38 fresh deaths, all in Uttar Pradesh, even as Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh reeled under sub-Zero temperatures.
Uttar Pradesh alone accounted for 300 deaths so far this season.
The overnight fresh casualties were reported from Barabanki and Sitapur (5 each), Gonda and Varanasi (4 each), Etah and Orai (3 each), Lucknow, Muzaffarnagar, Kheri, Kushinagar, Ballia and Chandauli (2 each) and Azamgarh and Basti (1 each), official sources said.
Kanpur, with a low of 3.7 degree Celsius, was the coldest place in the state, followed by Varanasi with 4 deg C. The national capital experienced intense cold because of chilly winds though the minimum temperature rose marginally to settle at 7 deg C.
The Met Department predicted a second spell of dense fog which is likely to descend on the IGI airport here from tomorrow affecting the schedules of several flights while the cold wave will continue in the city for next couple of days.
Possibility of rains and thundershowers at isolated places in Punjab and Haryana and parts of Himachal Pradesh has been forecast in the next few days.
Cold conditions worsened in Jammu and Ladakh regions with fall in mercury level, though there was some improvement in night temperatures in Kashmir valley.
The night temperature in Jammu slipped to 2.7 deg C and Banihal was the coldest place in the state at minus 1.6 deg C. Night temperature dipped to minus 22 deg C in Leh while in Kargil it was minus 16.4 deg C. Srinagar recorded minus 3.6 deg C, while Pahalgam tourist resort in south Kashmir had a minimum of minus 5.5 deg C.