Cold wave continues unabated in Kashmir Valley as fog descends on New Delhi

It was a cold, foggy morning in the national capital on Wednesday with nine trains running late by an average of three hours.

The minimum temperature was recorded at 8° Celsius, a notch above normal, a MeT official said.

The humidity level was 94%.

A senior Railways officer said nine trains have been delayed by an average of three hours due to fog. Purshottam Express, Brahmputra Mail, Poorva Express, Sampark Kranti and Mahbodhi Express were among those delayed as a cover of moderate fog enveloped the city.

At 5.30 am, the visibility reduced to 200 metres at Palam and 400 metres at Safdarjung, the official said.

The weatherman has forecast mainly clear skies for the day. It said the maximum temperature will hover around 20° Celsius.

On Tuesday, the minimum temperature in the national capital settled at 7° Celsius, while the maximum was 19.7° Celsius.

An unabated cold wave continued on Wednesday in the Kashmir Valley, dropping minimum temperatures below the freezing point, the Met office said.

The office also forecast a fresh spell of snow and rain across Jammu and Kashmir beginning from Friday.

The valley is going through the 40-day long period of harsh winter cold called the "Chillai Kalan" which started on December 21 and is slated to end on January 30.

Srinagar recorded -3.0° Celsius, Pahalgam -5.0°, Gulmarg -2.2°, as the minimum temperatures on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, the night temperature in Leh and Kargil dipped to -9.9° Celsius and -15.3°, respectively.

Jammu recorded 4.9° Celsius, Katra 5.1°, Batote -0.1°, Bannihal -0.4° and Bhaderwah -1.8° as their minimum temperatures on Wednesday.