Biting cold conditions relented in several parts of Punjab and Haryana with minimum temperature going up by up to 5 notches, even though rains lashed the region. MeT office in Chandigarh said, mercury rose by 4 notches above normal and settled at 9.7 degree Celsius. In Punjab, minimum temperature increased in Amritsar and Patiala districts by 5 degree Celsius and settled at 9.4 degree Celsius and 11 degree Celsius respectively.