New Delhi: Rise in temperatures brought slight respite from cold wave across North even as higher reaches of Himachal and Uttarakhand received fresh snow fall today while an avalanche warning was issued for Jammu and Kashmir.
It was a relatively warm day in Delhi with the maximum temperature rising to 25.4 degrees Celsius while fog in morning hours led to the cancellation of 45 trains.
However, flight operations were reported to be normal at Delhi airport.
Today’s maximum was three notches above normal. The minimum temperature also rose to settle at 11 degrees Celsius, three notches above the season’s average, said a MeT official.
The humidity in air oscillated between 97 and 46 per cent.
Rains lashed some parts of Punjab even as minimum temperatures rose several notches above normal level in the state as also in Haryana while the mercury scaled up to double-digit figure in most places in Rajasthan.
Snowfall in the higher reaches of Uttarakhand hills and isolated drizzle in lower areas caused the mercury to plunge at various places across the state.
The sky remained overcast in Dehradun with light showers in lower areas making people shiver.
Higher reaches of Chamoli district including the Himalayan shrine of Badrinath received fresh snow while icy winds swept the whole district bringing about a sharp drop in mercury, the Disaster Management office in Gopeshwar said.
However, tourists in Joshimath, Auli, Gwaldam and Lohjang were delighted as they received news about the fresh snowfall.
Meanwhile, an avalanche warning for Jammu and Kashmir has been issued by the Centre and people in several districts of the state have been asked not to venture out tonight and tomorrow.
The avalanche warning has been issued for 24 hours beginning 1700 hours of January 29 to 1700 hours of January 30, a Home Ministry spokesperson said.
Medium danger avalanche warning exists for Chokibal- Tangdhar, Keran sector, Gurez sector, Naugam-Kaiyan and Machhal sector.
The avalanche warning has also been issued for Kupwara, Baramulla and Bandipur districts and Dras sector in Ladakh district.
Residents in Kashmir division, including Ladakh region, experienced a huge relief from the cold conditions as mercury rose by several notches owing to a spell of wet weather, with some areas in the higher reaches of the Valley receiving fresh snowfall. .
PTI
