The entire North India is in the grip of cold wave today with icy winds lashing the region.

Five more people died in the cold wave raising the death toll to 128. The five deaths occurred overnight in Uttar Pradesh which has accounted for 88 fatalities. Chilly winds swept the state as mercury plunged to a low of 0.5 degrees Celsius in Najibabad area in Bijnor district.

The national capital witnessed coldest day of the season recording a minimum temperature of 3.3 deg C, five degrees
below normal.

Kashmir Valley reeled under bone-chilling cold with most places recording below sub-zero temperatures. Met officials said, hill resort Gulmarg endured intense cold with a low of minus 11.6 deg C. The tourist resort of Pahalgam in South Kashmir recorded a low of minus 7.4 deg C against Friday’s minus 8.2 deg C.

In remote Leh district in Ladakh region, the minimum temperature rose by nearly three degrees to settle at minus15 deg C.

Punjab and Haryana remained in the grip of a cold wave with Rohtak reeling at minus 0.8 deg C. Chilly winds blew across the Union Territory of Chandigarh with mercury plummeting to a low of 1.9 degrees Celsius. Amritsar, Patiala and Ludhiana in Punjab are all in the grip of cold wave.

Mercury dipped in Rajasthan with Churu recording the lowest temperature of the season at minus one degree Celsius, five notches below normal. Mount Abu, the only hill station in the state, recorded a low of one deg C.

Thick fog blanketed several places in the region hitting road and rail traffic. Several trains are running behind schedule.