Cold wave in North India claims several lives, disrupting normal conditions, heavy snowfall in Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir

A western disturbance caused a cold wave to sweep across the northern part of the country, claiming several lives and disrupting normal conditions. Reports of water pipes freezing, roads becoming unmotorable have come in from several parts of the country. This might affect crops this winter. 

North India

• Western disturbances cause biting cold in north India: This rain-bearing system has its origin in the Mediterranean sea
• Death toll reaches 140: Few states comply with court orders to open night shelters for homeless
• India cold wave claims dozens of lives in north: majority of deaths were in the state of Uttar Pradesh among homeless and elderly despite court orders
• Heavy rain/snow to continue over next week: IMD predicts hailstorms
• Fog, cold wave and cold day conditions over North India: Widespread rain/snow occurred over Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand 
• Prevailing weather adversely affecting potato crop: Chances of late blight disease

Punjab

• Heavy rains in Punjab: Accompanying cold winds make people shiver
• Snowfall in Pathankhot after 40 years: Cold wave affecting lives across north India
• Pathankhot and Hoshiarpur experience snowfall: people throng to the hilly areas to witness this phenomenon

Himachal Pradesh

• Heavy snowfall warning in Himachal: Shimla district experienced the heaviest snowfall in six years
• Tribal areas trapped in cold wave: minimum temperatures range between minus 12 and minus 23 degrees C
• Blizzards in Himachal cause power cables to snap

Uttarakhand

• Cold unabated in Uttarakhand:125 polling booth affected by snowfall

Jammu and Kashmir

• Western disturbance important for Rabi crops in the Himalayas: Kargil was the coldest in Kashmir at minus 18 degrees Celsius 
• Lakes freeze in Kashmir: two-wheelers advised to stay off streets
• J&K highway closed due to snowfall: BRO officials have been deployed to clear the snow of the highway to make it trafficable