Fog hits train movement,cold toll rises to 171

Normal life was affected in most parts of Punjab and Haryana as fog reduced the visibility considerably.

All incoming and outgoing flights from Chandigarh stood cancelled for the fourth day,while several trains in the region ran late between 2-8 hours due to fog.

Amritsar recorded a low of 3.4 degrees Celsius,3 degrees below normal,while Ambala recorded a low of 3.3 deg C.

Agriculture experts said the cold condition in north India was good for Rabi wheat crop.

Mercury rose in Kashmir giving people some respite even as Ladakh and Jammu regions continued to reel under severe cold.

Leh and Kargil districts of frontier region of Ladakh recorded the coldest night of the season with mercury dipped to minus 19.2 deg C in Kargil and minus 19 deg C in Leh.

The night temperature in Jammu,winter capital of the state,was 5.6 degrees Celsius,two degrees below normal.

However,the night temperature improved in the Kashmir valley with Srinagar recording a low of 1.8 deg C,four degrees above normal.

Pahalgam,hill resort of south Kashmir,was the coldest place in the valley recording a low of minus 3.3 deg C.

Most places in the lower areas of Himachal Pradesh enjoyed a warmer day though the higher reaches of the state continued to reel under sub-zero temperature. Keylong,the district headquarters of Lahaul and Spiti was the coldest place in the state with the low of minus 11.8 deg C.

In Uttarakhand,the authorities ordered closure of schools till January 15 because of severe cold and foggy conditions. Parts of Rajasthan continued to reel under intense cold with Mount Abu being the coldest place in the state with a low of minus one deg C.