Chandigarh, Jan 16: The residents of Punjab and Haryana continued to battle a relentless cold wave on Friday as temperatures hovered near the freezing mark across the region. Meteorological officials noted that Ballowal Saunkhri in Punjab’s SBS Nagar district emerged as the coldest spot in the state, with the mercury dipping to a sharp 0.9°C.
Severe chill gripped Gurdaspur and Bathinda, which recorded minimum temperatures of 2.7°C and 3°C. In the border city of Amritsar, the temperature settled at 3.2°C, while industrial hub Ludhiana and the royal city of Patiala recorded lows of 5.2°C and 6°C.
Dense fog blanketed several areas during the early hours, significantly reducing visibility for commuters across the northern plains. Chandigarh, the shared capital of both states, was not spared the icy conditions and registered a minimum of 5.3°C.
“The biting cold is expected to persist as many locations are seeing minimums close to the freezing point,” a weather department official said.
