NEW DELHI/KULLU: A sharp cold wave tightened its grip across north India on Sunday, with snowfall in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and northeastern Himachal Pradesh, while scattered rain and dense fog pushed down temperatures across the plains of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.IMD has forecast continued snowfall, rain and fog across much of north India over the next 24 to 48 hours, signalling little relief from the wintry onslaught. In J&K, fresh snowfall ushered in the 40-day-long Chillai-Kalan. Gulmarg recorded nearly two inches of snow accumulation, emerging as the only weather station in the Valley to log sub-zero temperatures, with the mercury plunging to minus 1.5°C. Sonamarg witnessed continuous snowfall from early morning through the afternoon.Despite snow, Srinagar recorded its warmest night of the season, with the minimum temperature settling at 4°C, six degrees above normal. However, at least 11 flights were cancelled at Srinagar International Airport due to adverse weather conditions.Himachal Pradesh experienced biting cold conditions as snowfall draped high-altitude areas of Lahaul-Spiti and Chamba districts. Snowfall was recorded at Shinku La, Rohtang Pass and parts of Pangi Valley, with flakes later observed near Atal Tunnel. Snowfall, though light, drew large numbers of tourists to Shinku La, located around 5,000 metres and being developed as a new snow tourism destination.Meanwhile, the mid and lower hills remained under dense cloud cover, prolonging a dry spell that has left Himachal with a 100% rainfall deficit this month. IMD has warned of moderate to severe snowstorms at isolated places in Kinnaur and Lahaul-Spiti.In the plains, the winter chill intensified across Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh as thick fog enveloped several areas. Narnaul in Haryana emerged as the coldest location in the state, with mercury dipping to 5.2°C, while Gurdaspur was Punjab’s coldest at 6.8°C. Dense to very dense fog reduced visibility to under 50 metres in parts of UP, where cold day to severe cold day conditions were reported in pockets, along with isolated areas of Uttarakhand. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 9.4°C, slightly above average, a day after logging the season’s coldest Dec day.
