The entire North India continues to remain in the grip of severe cold, even as mercury went up by a few notches in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh. Delhiites basked under a sunny weather yesterday with the sky remaining clear for most part of the day after a misty morning. Both maximum and minimum temperatures remained a degree above normal to settle at 21.4 and 8.5 degrees Celsius. Several Delhi bound trains were running late and outgoing trains were rescheduled due to fog conditions. Flight operations however remained near normal.

In Uttar Pradesh, 13 more people succumbed to the cold wave raising the death toll to 80. Muzaffarnagar and Kanpur City remained the coldest places in the state with each recording a minimum of 2 degrees Celcius. Our Gorakhpur correspondent reports that the Western Uttar Pradesh is severly hit by cold while the maximum temperature was recorded 6 to 10 degrees below normal in most cities in the state.

"There is bright sunshine in Varanasi and adjoining districts but there is no respite in biting cold due to chilly wind. Train and bus services remain affected due to foggy condition. It has also affected the livelihood of daily bread earners. The met office has predicted increase in foggy condition and further decline in day’s temperature in eastern parts of the state". Salman Haider/AIR news/ Gorakhpur."

In Himachal Pradesh, night temperatures plummeted in the mid and lower hills and hovered around freezing point. Keylong in Lahaul and Spiti district remained the coldest place with a low of minus 4 degrees, followed by Kalpa in Kinnaur district with minus 2.6 degree Celsius.

Coldwave and foggy conditions returned in most parts of Punjab and Haryana this morning after clear and sunny weather yesterday. Hisar recorded at 2.2 degrees Celsius while Narnaul at 3 degrees and Bhiwani at 3.2 degrees were the coldest places in the state. Neighbouring Amritsar in Punjab recorded a low of 5.2 degrees Celsius .

"Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are in the grip of intense cold wave. Ambala, Hisar and Karnal in Haryana and Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala in Punjab had a moderate to thick blanket of fog, which affected road traffic and rail and air services in the region. According to Met department the cold wave and fog would continue to affect life in the region. "Ashwani Kumar Sharma/Air News/Chandigarh.

The entire Kashmir Valley is in the grip of a severe cold wave following fresh snow fall that continued till last evening. Our Srinagar correspondent reports that snow fall has been substantial in higher reaches and mild in the plains.

"With substantial fresh snowfall at higher riches including world famous tourist resorts of Gulmarg and Pahalgam, Kashmir valley is in the grip of cold wave. The snowfall though the very mild in Srinagar and other place. One way traffic on Jammu Srinagar National highway has resumed. Met office has indicated improvement in weather from today. Tourist present at Gulmarg are reddy in themselves for new year celebration amid blanket of fresh snow all around". Mushtaq Ahmed Tantary,Air News, Srinagar.