Cold wave in north India: J-K's Sonamarg freezes at -8.9°C, light snow in Himachal

Cold wave conditions prevailed in the northern parts of the country, with the minimum temperatures plunging across Kashmir and Punjab's Amritsar shivering at a low of 1.7 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

Two men, including a truck driver, were burned to death following a multi-vehicle pileup on the Kundli-Manesar-Palwal (KMP) Expressway in Haryana's Nuh on Sunday morning amid dense fog, police said. The accident caused a long traffic jam and severely disrupted traffic on the expressway, they said.

In Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly district, a pile-up involving at least 20 vehicles on the Delhi-Lucknow National Highway amid dense fog on Sunday morning left a person dead and at least 24 injured, police said.

Sonamarg in Jammu and Kashmir was the coldest place in the Valley, recording a low of minus 8.9 degrees Celsius, officials said on Sunday. Srinagar recorded a low of minus 4.7 degrees Celsius. The meteorological department has forecast spells of wet weather, especially in the higher reaches of the Valley over the next few days. Shopian in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 6.7 degrees Celsius, while Pahalgam recorded a minimum temperature of minus 6 degrees Celsius.

The higher hills of Himachal Pradesh saw light snow at isolated places. The Shimla meteorological office stated that light snow occurred in Lahaul and Spiti district's Koksar and Hansa villages, while the weather remained dry in most parts of the state. Cold wave was also witnessed in Hamirpur, Una and Mandi, which recorded 2.1, 2.7 and 3.9 degrees Celsius, respectively. The weather office has also predicted that light snow will continue to occur in the higher reaches of the state till January 20, while the weather in the rest of the state will continue to remain dry.

Amritsar, which recorded the lowest temperature in Punjab, shivered at a low of 1.7 degrees Celsius as biting cold intensified in parts of the state and neighbouring Haryana.

In Hoshiarpur, the minimum temperature was recorded at 3.4 degrees Celsius.

Chandigarh, the common capital of Punjab and Haryana, also experienced a cold night at 5.5 degrees, two notches below normal.

Patiala and Faridkot in Punjab recorded identical minimum temperatures of 5.4 degrees Celsius. Ludhiana recorded a low of 6.4 degrees Celsius, Gurdaspur 5.8 degrees Celsius, while Bathinda registered a minimum of 7 degrees Celsius.

Delhi was enveloped by a dense fog on Sunday morning, with the minimum temperature settling at 5.3 degrees Celsius, 2.3 notches below the season's average.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) also placed the city under a 'yellow alert', warning of dense fog at many isolated places till forenoon.

Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 5.3 degrees Celsius, Palam 8 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road 6.8 degrees Celsius, the Ridge 7.2 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar 7 degrees Celsius, the IMD data showed.

In Haryana, Narnaul recorded a low of 5.2 degrees Celsius, while Gurugram's minimum temperature settled at 5.6 degrees Celsius. Ambala recorded a low of 6.8 degrees, while Rohtak saw its minimum temperature drop to 7 degrees Celsius.

Cold wave conditions also gripped parts of Jharkhand, as the mercury dipped below 10 degrees Celsius in 11 districts, the IMD said.

Gumla recorded the lowest temperature in the state at 3.1 degrees Celsius, followed by Khunti at 3.9 degrees Celsius, and Palamu at 4.7 degrees Celsius, it said.

State capital Ranchi registered a minimum temperature of 6.6 degrees Celsius, Chaibasa 8.2 degrees Celsius and Jamshedpur 9.6 degrees Celsius, the IMD said in a bulletin.