Fresh snowfall in Kashmir, Himachal on Christmas eve; dense fog in Delhi

North India continued to reel under cold wave conditions on Christmas eve on Tuesday (December 24) with Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh receiving fresh snowfall.

Dense fog enveloped parts of Delhi on Christmas morning, reducing visibility to 100 metres in the early hours. The mercury settled at a low of 8.4 degrees Celsius, 1.5 notches below the seasonal average, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Safdurjung and Palam witnessed dense fog in the morning which brought down visibility to 100 metres, the IMD said. The weather office has forecast fog during the day. The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 22 degrees Celsius.

Snowfall in HP

In Himachal Pradesh, at least 223 roads, including three national highways, were closed following fresh snowfall in several districts, officials said.

Snowfall was recorded in Kinnaur, Lahaul and Spiti and the higher reaches of Shimla, Kullu, Mandi, Chamba and Sirmaur districts.

A maximum of 145 roads were closed in Shimla, followed by 25 in Kullu and 20 in Mandi districts.

As per the local Met department, Khadrala received 24 cm of snow, followed by Sangla (16.5 cm), Shillaro (15.3 cm), Chopal and Jubbal (15 cm each), Kalpa (14 cm), Nichar (10 cm), Shimla (7 cm), Pooh (6 cm) and Jot (5 cm).

Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti was coldest in the state on Tuesday with night temperature dropping to minus 6.9 degrees Celsius, while Una was hottest with a day temperature of 21.4 degrees Celsius.

Also read: Himachal snowfall shuts 177 roads, Shimla hotel occupancy hits 70%

Drop in mercury in Kashmir

Similarly, the higher reaches of Kashmir received fresh snowfall on Tuesday with the minimum temperature plummeting several degrees below the freezing point in many parts of the Valley, officials said.

The drop in mercury led to freezing of water supply lines even as a thin layer of ice covered the surface of several water bodies.

Srinagar recorded a low of minus 6.6 degrees Celsius on Monday night, while Pahalgam shivered at minus 7.8 degrees Celsius.

The night temperature settled at minus 7.4 degrees Celsius in Gulmarg, minus 6.2 degrees in Qazigund, while Konibal, a hamlet in the Pampore region, was the coldest in the Valley at minus 8.5 degrees Celsius.

The Met department has predicted a further dip in minimum temperature by two to three degrees in the next couple of days till December 26.

Also read: Kashmir chills before 'Chillai-Kalan,' Srinagar sees season's coldest night

Chillai-Kalan

Kashmir is currently under the grip of 'Chillai-Kalan' -- considered the harshest period of winter -- which started on December 21.

In Uttarakhand, stray cows shivering in Badrinath were brought to the lower valleys of Chamoli district on Tuesday following heavy snowfall.

Icy cold winds have been sweeping the whole of Uttarakhand since Monday when high altitude locations, including Chamoli and Uttarkashi, received fresh snowfall, while the lower areas were hit by light showers.

Apart from Badrinath, Valley of Flowers National Park, Nanda Devi National Park, and Kedarnath Musk Deer Sanctuary, along with villages above Mana and Malari in Niti Valley, received snow.

Delhi

Meanwhile, Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 333 in the 'very poor' category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Out of the 36 monitoring stations, Mundka recorded 'severe' air quality while some recorded 'poor' air quality.

Parts of Delhi also witnessed rain on Tuesday evening even as the day temperature remained slightly higher than normal for this time of the season.

Several areas in central, south, and east Delhi witnessed rainfall towards the evening. The maximum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 20.8 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, warmer than usual for this time of the season, with cloudy skies prevailed during the day.

Rajasthan

Cold conditions prevailed in parts of Rajasthan due to rain and the influence of a fresh western disturbance on Tuesday.

According to local Met office, very light rain was recorded at some places in eastern Rajasthan, while light rain was recorded in parts of western Rajasthan in the 24 hours till Tuesday morning.

Hanumangarh in Bhadra recorded the highest rainfall at 9 mm, the weather department said.

Dungarpur was the coldest place in the state with a minimum temperature of 5 degrees Celsius.

A fresh western disturbance will be active in the region on December 26-27. Its effect will be seen in Udaipur, Kota, Ajmer and Bharatpur divisions and the Shekhawati area, the Met office said.

(With inputs from agencies)