Monday, January 24 2005 22:04 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

New Delhi: North India groaned as biting chill tightened its grip today (Jan 24, 2005) with upper reaches of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttaranchal continuing to receive heavy snowfall, claiming lives of three Vaishnodevi pilgrims, while the national capital and parts of Punjab and Haryana experienced the coldest day of the season.

Minimum temperature dipped to one degree below freezing point in Srinagar with fresh snowfall while Rajouri and large parts of Kashmir valley including tourist resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam, were under a thick white blanket. Jammu had a low of 4 C.

The harsh weather conditions in Jammu and Udhampur districts claimed the lives of three Vaishnodevi pilgrims, one of them from Delhi, who were enroute to the shrine, official sources said.

Arctic conditions persisted in Himachal as high altitude areas of Lahaul, Spiti, Pangi where mercury ranged between -16 C and -28 C, and upper Shimla, Kullu, Manali and Chama districts were lashed by fresh snowfall. Mercury dropped to 5.5 C in Shimla while Bhuntar and Sundernagar also registered below normal lows at 1.2 C and 3.6 C.

The maximum temperature at Chandigarh, which had overcast conditions through out the day, plunged to 14.6 C. while the night was also cold at 5.4 C, down three degrees. Ambala, Hisar and Karnal reeled under intense cold wave as the low dropped by four degrees below normal to range between 4C and 6C. Ludhiana and Patiala had the season's coldest day so far with maximums of 12.5 C and 14 C.

In Delhi the day temperature fell to a new low of 14.6 C making it the coldest day of the season so far.