New Delhi: Eight people died overnight in Uttar Pradesh as North India shivered with icy winds blowing across the region plummeting mercury and dense fog affecting rail, road as well as air traffic.

Two people died each in Jaunpur and Ambedkar Nagar and one each in Unnao, Jhansi, Deoria and Basti pushing the death toll due to piercing cold in Uttar Pradesh to 13.

Mercury nose-dived to minus 2.5 degrees Celsius in Srinagar as Kashmir valley reeled under intense cold. Jammu recorded a low of seven degrees Celsius.

The winter chill confined people indoors in Himachal Pradesh capital Shimla, which was lashed by icy winds. In neighbouring Solan, the mercury dipped to one degree Celsius.

Bhuntar in the state recorded a bone-chilling minus 0.2 degrees Celsius, while Una and Sundernagar shivered at close to freezing point.

Amritsar in Punjab and Narnaul in Haryana were coldest places in the plains recording a minimum temperature of 4.8 degrees Celsius each.

Fog wrapped many places including Jammu, Udhampur, Pathankot, Amritsar, Bathinda, Ambala and Sirsa in the region throwing normal life out of gear.

In Uttar Pradesh, several flights were delayed due to inclement weather.

Chandigarh had a clear blue sky but poor visibility in the morning due to mist delayed Chandigarh-Delhi-Mumbai Goa flight by 90 minutes.

Mercury plunged by two to four degrees Celsius in several parts of Rajasthan with Churu recording a low of four degrees Celsius.

PTI