Gopal Sharma/Fayaz Bukhari
JAMMU/ SRINAGAR, Jan 4: Entire northern region has come under the grip of cold wave with mercury showing sharp fall at many places in past couple of days. The temperature in Kargil plummeted to minus 20 degrees Celsius which is lowest so far this season while Jammu recorded the coldest night of the season.
Dense fog continued to affect air, train and vehicular traffic in the northern region. Four flights to Jammu were cancelled due to fog and poor visibility while many trains were late by two to 24 hours.
In Kashmir valley, temperature remained several degrees below the freezing point with weatherman forecasting light rain or snow at isolated places over the next 48 hours in Valley.
In view of dense fog in Jammu area and parts of northern region, four flights were cancelled at Jammu airport while first flight could land at Jammu at around 12.20 pm instead of its scheduled arrival time of 8.40 am after the visibility improved at the airport. Two Indigo, one Go Air and one Air India Flights, were cancelled and all the incoming flights landed at Jammu Airport after 12.20 pm. The take off timings of almost all the flights had to be re-scheduled, SSP Anti-hijacking Jammu, Rajinder Gupta said.
A Northern Railways spokesman said that train service has been badly hit due to dense fog and poor visibility in northern region. He said Himgiri train from Jammu station had to be cancelled as it was late by more than 24 hours. Tata Moori was late by 23 hours, Ganganagar-Jammu Express by 18 hours, Sambalpur Express by 12 hours, Happa Express by 11 hours, Kanpur-Jammu by 10 hours, Jhelum Express and Shalimar by 8 hours, Pooja Express and Navyug Express by 7 hours, Sarai Rohilla-Jammu by 5 hours, Kota-Udhampur Special by 5 hours, Uttar Samparak Kranti by three hours, Rajdhani and some other trains by two to three hours.
Due to poor visibility and fog in plain areas of Jammu, parts of Punjab and Haryana, the inter-state buses are also arriving late by two to four hours.
Meanwhile, Srinagar recorded a low of minus 3.9 degrees Celsius while the day temperature settled at 9.0 degree Celsius which is 2.1 degree Celsius above normal. Mercury in Qazigund settled at a low of minus 4.4 degrees Celsius while the day temperature settled at 9.4 degree Celsius which is 2.3 degree Celsius above normal.
Kokernag recorded a low of minus 2.5 degrees Celsius while the day temperature was 9.1 degree Celsius, which is 3.5 degree Celsius above normal. The night temperature in Pahalgam had a minimum of minus 4.5 degrees Celsius. The day temperature settled at 7.0 degrees Celsius which is 2.2 degrees Celsius above normal.
Kupwara in North Kashmir recorded a low of minus 3.6 degrees Celsius while the day temperature settled at 7.0 degree Celsius which is minus 0.1 degree Celsius below normal.
Gulmarg reeled under freezing minus 6 degrees Celsius.
Kargil town was the coldest place in J&K at minus 20 degrees Celsius and Leh town recorded a low of minus 14.2 degrees Celsius. It was the coldest night of the season so far in Leh and Kargil.
Jammu experienced coldest night of the season so far as the city recorded a minimum temperature of 2.7 degree C while Chatha observatory of SKUAST- Jammu has recorded a minimum 2.4 degree C temperature.
On Wednesday Jammu witnessed 4.3 degree C while a day earlier it was 6.0 degree C. A sharp fall has been witnessed in Jammu’s temperature in last three days. The maximum temperature in Jammu was 15.1 degree C today.
Katra township recorded maximum temperature of 17. 2 degree C and minimum 5 degree C; Bhaderwah town maximum 12.4 degree C and minimum minus 0.3 degree C while Banihal maximum 13.6 deg C and minimum minus 1.6 degree Celsius.
The MeT office said there was possibility of light rain or snow at isolated places, especially in the higher reaches, today and tomorrow across J&K.
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