By IANS,
New Delhi : With snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and rains in the Indian capital, Friday turned out to be a cold proposition in many parts of northern India.
Snowfall in Kashmir Valley was, however, welcomed by people as it caused an appreciable rise in the minimum temperatures, bringing relief from the severe cold wave conditions that have existed for nearly a month.
“We are expecting widespread, light to moderate rain or snow in the valley. The snowfall could be heavy at a few places in the higher reaches,” a weather official told IANS in Srinagar.
The minimum temperature was 0.8 degree in Srinagar.
The strategic Srinagar-Jammu national highway was closed for vehicular traffic following fresh snowfall in the Jawahar Tunnel area of the road, the only road link of the valley with the rest of the country.
A thick blanket of fog coupled with a slight drizzle made for a cold Friday morning in the Indian capital. The Met Office forecast rain later in the day. The minimum temperature was five notches above average at 12.4 degrees Celsius.
Fog also affected train movement in and around Agra in Uttar Pradesh.
Schools in the district were to reopen Friday, but the authorities ordered the closure of all schools till Jan 10 due to inclement weather.
The cold wave intensified further with reports of cloudy conditions, chilly winds and light showers in some districts of Uttar Pradesh.
In Himachal Pradesh, intense cold conditions left many shivering, a day after rains and snowfall across the state.
State capital Shimla, which saw 4.4 cm of snow Thursday, experienced its coldest night of the season. The city recorded a minimum of 1.1 degrees Celsius Friday. Vehicular traffic was disrupted for several hours after the snowfall.
Popular tourist spots near Shimla like Kufri and Narkanda also saw good spells of snow over the past two days. However, Kasauli tourist resort in Solan district was still bereft of snow cover.