Snowfall disrupts normal life in JK, intense cold grips north

NEW DELHI: Heavy snowfall disrupted normal life for the second consecutive day in Jammu and Kashmir as intense cold wave conditions persisted in north India with thick fog disrupting air, rail and road traffic in several parts of the region today.

However, the New Year brought some respite from bone chilling cold for Delhiites as the minimum temperature settled at 10.4 degrees Celsius, three degree above normal.

Yesterday, the minimum temperature in the national capital was recorded at 4 degrees Celsius while on Monday it had dropped to of 2.4 degrees Celsius.

The 294-km Srinagar-Jammu National Highway, the only all weather road link between Kashmir and rest of the country, remained closed following heavy snowfall in the Valley, while no flights landed or took off at Srinagar Airport for the second day today due to the slippery runway.

Heavy snowfall was recorded at the holy cave shrine of Vaishnodevi and the entire Trikuta Hills in Jammu and Kashmir's Reasi district, even as thousands of pilgrims reached there to offer prayers on the first day of the new year.

A thick blanket of fog over most parts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh threw normal life out of gear affecting the air, rail and road traffic with mercury plunging to up to two notches below normal at Amritsar, Hisar and Narnaul.

Dense fog blinded the region reducing the visibility to just few metres forcing several trains to run behind schedule, officials said, adding that motorists had to move on snails pace due to low visibility.