Cold wave intensifies in N India; death toll mounts to 133

New Delhi, Dec 26 (PTI) Two more persons today succumbed to the plummeting mercury pushing the country-wide death toll to 133 as biting cold maintained its firm grip on vast swathes of north India. Delhi continued to reel under intense cold though the minimum temperature rose marginally from yesterday's 2.9 deg C to 3.4 degrees, which was four notches below normal. The national capital recorded a maximum of 20.3 deg C, the MeT office said. A woman and an elderly man perished in the cold wave in Punjab and Haryana respectively as temperatures stayed well below normal at many places in the two states. Holy city Amritsar in Punjab shivered as the minimum temperature touched minus 1.2 deg C. In Haryana, Hisar recorded a low of 0.2 deg C, down seven notches while the low at Karnal was two deg C, down six notches. There was no let up in the cold wave sweeping Kashmir Valley with the mercury in Srinagar plummeting to minus 4.9 degrees, the season's lowest. Leh district in Ladakh region also recorded the season's lowest temperature with the minimum dipping to minus 18.2 deg C. Kargil registered a low of minus 14.4 deg C. Elsewhere, Gulmarg recorded a low of minus 8.4 deg C, Pahalgam minus 7.4 deg C and Qazigund minus 5.6 deg C. In the desert state of Rajasthan, Churu remained the coldest zone recording a minimum temperature of minus 0.7 deg C, the weather office said. MORE