Mercury dips 4 notches, chill claims life

BATHINDA: The chill in the weather claimed the first life this season. Although several road accidents, caused by a thick envelope of fog in the region, have been reported over the last few days, the death — of 57-year-old Chhinderpal Singh, a farmer from Balluana village of Bathinda district — is the first to have occurred due to cold.

People wrapped themselves in woollens as the mercury came down in Bathinda on Saturday afternoon. Photo: Viay Kumar

Nikhila Pant Dhawan

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, December 20

The chill in the weather claimed the first life this season. Although several road accidents, caused by a thick envelope of fog in the region, have been reported over the last few days, the death — of 57-year-old Chhinderpal Singh, a farmer from Balluana village of Bathinda district — is the first to have occurred due to cold.

As the upper ranges of the Himalayan region have started receiving snow, the Agri-met Department of the PAU Regional Centre, Bathinda, cautioned that the weather would remain the same or would get even colder in the coming days. “The Himalayan region is poised to get even more snow in the coming days. Chilly winds coming from there and hitting Punjab will add to the cold. On Saturday, the wind velocity was recorded at 2.5 kmph,” said an official of the regional centre. He added that a dip in the maximum temperature was indicative of the cold wave setting in.

The mercury has dipped by more than eight degrees over the past four days. While on Tuesday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 18.2 degree Celsius, it fell by four degrees to be recorded at 14.4 degree Celsius on Wednesday and dipped further to be recorded a 12.2 degrees Celsius on Friday and 10.2 degree Celsius on Saturday.

The minimum temperature has also been fluctuating. While the minimum temperature was recorded at 6.4 degree Celsius on Tuesday, it dipped to 4.5 degree Celsius on Wednesday, and was recorded at 7.2 degree Celsius on Friday, only to fall again to 5.6 degree Celsius on Saturday.

While the chilly weather may have thrown normal life out of gear in the city, the weather has certainly brought smiles on the faces of farmers in the region. “The foggy and chilly weather is good for wheat, potato, mustard and gram. The farmers were worried that this year the cold weather may not be chilly enough. But they have been granted their wish. The fog and dew are particularly good for the wheat crop,” said Purushottam Sharma, a farmer from Ballianwali village of Bathinda.