Kashmir shivers, Leh freezes |
An intense cold wave swept the Kashmir Valley on December 13 as minimum temperatures dropped below the freezing point overnight. Leh town in Ladakh region recorded a minimum temperature of minus 12.1 degrees Celsius.Several parts of hill states Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh were in the grip of bitter cold on December 12 with temperatures dipping below freezing point. Winter has set in officially. Delhi woke up to a chilly day and temperatures dipped suddenly - the maximum fell seven degrees below normal to 15.7°C — as icy winds from snowed-out areas of Himachal Pradesh and J&K changed the weather overnight. With the chill, wafted in a dense fog cover, the worst of the season. Visibility hovered between zero and 50 metres at IGI airport between midnight and noon , forcing more than 30 flights to be delayed. Five planes were diverted. Hundreds of passengers were stranded at IGI Airport. The fog is expected to hover on the city at least for the next four days. The capital, already gasping for breath, witnessed its air quality rapidly deteriorating . Cold weather traps pollutants close to the surface. From an average PM 2.5 (fine, respirable pollution particles) concentration of 175 micrograms per cubic metres, it`s shot up to 200 and is likely remain upwards .The situation in Anand Vihar, one of the most polluted areas of Delhiy, was alarming.
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