New Delhi: Cold wave conditions intensified in several parts of north India with the minimum temperatures plummeting on Saturday. Mercury dipped to 2.6 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season’s average — the season’s lowest temperature so far, said the Meteorological Department office.

The maximum temperature is expected to hover around 19 degrees Celsius, and the humidity was recorded at 85 per cent early morning today. The visibility in the morning was 1,500 metres in most parts of the city, he said. However, the visibility in Palam area was 800 meters.

According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the overall air quality in the national capital was found in ‘very poor’ category. “While there was shallow to moderate fog in most parts of the city, a few places saw dense fog causing visibility issues. The sky will remain clear with cold wave conditions at many places,” the official said. There would be haze and smoke later in the day. (Also Read:

Fog disrupts rail traffic in the national capital

Nearly 15 trains were delayed due to thick fog across the national capital on Saturday. Maximum trains were rescheduled after getting delayed for at least by two hours. Trains like Purushottam Express, Mahabodhi Express, and Kaifiyat Express were delayed by three hours each.

While Vikramshila Express, Jaynagar Anand Vihar Garib Rath Express, Kashi Vishwanath Express were running late by five hours, four hours and three hours respectively due to dense fog in Delhi.

Earlier, the Railways had stated that it has started using Fog Pass Device (Fog Pilot Assistance System) or FSD, which is GPS-enabled and can continuously calculate the distance of the train in relation to the next landmark, enabling drivers to know when exactly a signal is approaching.

Cold wave continues to bite Punjab and Haryana

Adampur in Punjab recorded the season’s coldest night so far at minus 1.7 degrees Celsius as cold wave conditions further intensified in the state and neighbouring Haryana on Saturday. Also, dense fog at several places in the two states affected normal life. As per MeT department officials, foggy conditions prevailed early this morning at several places including Ambala, Hisar, Karnal, Ludhiana, Patiala and Amritsar.

Halwara and Bathinda recorded identical minimum temperatures of 0.6 degrees Celsius each. Amritsar reeled at a minimum of 0.8 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal while Faridkot braved the chill at 0.4 degrees Celsius.

Pathankot recorded 1.7 degrees Celsius while Gurdaspur recorded a low of 2.8 degrees Celsius. Ludhiana recorded a low of 2.7 degrees Celsius, down three notches against normal while Patiala’s minimum settled at 4.6 degrees Celsius, down two degrees.

In Haryana, Hisar was the coldest place at a low of 0.3 degrees Celsius, down six notches against normal limits. Narnaul too was equally cold at a low of 0.7 deg C, down five notches while Rohtak’s minimum settled at 2.2 degrees Celsius, down four degrees.

Chandigarh recorded a minimum temperature of 5 degree Celsius. The holy city of Amritsar registered a minimum temperature of 0 degree Celsius while cities like Ludhiana, Pathankot recorded a low of 5 degrees and 2 degree Celsius respectively.

The ongoing cold wave conditions are likely to continue in the two states over the next few days, MeT officials said. (Also Read: J&K: Srinagar Freezes at Minus 7.2 Degree Celsius, Drass Shudders at Minus 21.1 Degrees)

Intense weather conditions continue in the rest of North India

In Himachal Pradesh, Shimla registered a minimum temperature of 1 degree Celsius while other cities like Dharamshala, Kullu recorded a low of 4 degrees and -1 degree Celsius respectively. In Uttar Pradesh, Lucknow experiences a minimum temperature of 6 degree Celsius while other cities like Moradabad, Allahabad, Bareilly recorded a low of 5 degrees, 6 degrees and 3 degree Celsius respectively.

Kolkata recorded a minimum temperature of 10 degree Celsius while Patna experienced a minimum temperature of 6 degree Celsius.

(With PTI inputs)