India News | Cold Weather as Parts of JK, HP Receive Fresh Snowfall; TN, Andhra Brace for Cyclone Nivar

New Delhi, Nov 24 (PTI) North India witnessed cold weather conditions Tuesday as parts of Jammu and Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh received fresh snowfall, while Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in the south braced for cyclone Nivar, which is expected to hit the coastline late Wednesday evening as a "very severe cyclonic storm".

The national capital and its neighbouring cities, meanwhile, dealt with poor air quality as their AQI numbers remained in the unsafe zones.

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While Delhi's air was in the "very poor" category, it was in the “severe” category in Ghaziabad and “very poor” in Noida, Greater Noida and Faridabad, and “poor” in Gurgaon.

Cyclone Nivar is expected to intensify into a “very severe cyclonic storm” and cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts late in the evening on November 25, IMD Director General Mrutunjay Mohapatra said on Tuesday.

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"It is very likely to cross Tamil Nadu and Puducherry coasts between Karaikal and Mamallapuram around Puducherry during 25th November late evening as a very severe cyclonic storm with a wind speed of 120-130 kilometres per hour gusting to 145 kmph," Mohapatra said.

Besides strong winds, the cyclone is also expected to bring heavy rains.

Nearly 1,200 NDRF rescue personnel have been deployed in Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Puducherry and 800 others are on standby.

NDRF chief S N Pradhan also said they are prepared for a "high level of intensity and the worst form" of the cyclonic storm as it surges from the Bay of Bengal and marches towards the southern coastline.

"We are keeping a close watch on the development and we are coordinating with the affected states," he told a press conference here.

"It is a rapidly developing situation and it could take the shape of a very severe cyclonic storm that has a speed of about 120-130 km per hour."

The cyclone may bring fairly widespread to widespread rainfall and thunderstorm in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema and Telangana.

The IMD has advised fishermen not to venture into southwest and adjoining westcentral and southeast Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Mannar and along and off Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and south Andhra Pradesh coasts.

Also the fishermen out at the sea are advised to return to the coast.

Meanwhile, night temperatures rose marginally in parts of Rajasthan with the hill station, Mount Abu, recording a minimum of 1.4 degrees Celsius. Churu and Bhilwara recorded a minimum of 8.8 degrees Celsius.

Cold conditions would continue in the desert state with the possibility of light rains at isolated areas in western Rajasthan till Wednesday.

Several regions in the upper Himachal Pradesh received fresh snowfall with Kalpa recording 9.6 cm fall, followed by Khadrala (6 cm), Keylong 3 cm and Shillari 1 cm.

Also, several parts of the state including Manali, Nichar, Bharmaur, Jubbal, Wangtoo and Seobagh experienced light rains.

Many places in Kashmir received intermittent snowfall and rains for the second day on Tuesday as the weather office said the wet spell is likely to continue.

Most of the higher reaches of the valley received moderate to heavy snowfall over the past 36 hours, while many areas in the plains experienced light snowfall and rains.

The famous ski-resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir recorded seven inches of fresh snowfall during the night, while Pahalgam tourist resort in south Kashmir recorded six inches of snow, the official said.

There are reports of snowfall in other areas in the higher reaches, including the Sonamarg-Zojila axis on the Srinagar-Leh road which connects the valley with Ladakh, he said.

The road was closed for traffic on Monday.

The traffic on Bhaderwah-Chamba and Bhaderwah-Pathankot highways, connecting Jammu and Kashmir's Doda district with Himachal Pradesh and Punjab, was suspended on Tuesday following heavy snowfall around Padri Gali and Chattergala passes, officials said.

The continuous snowfall is hampering the efforts to restore the traffic on the highways, Kumar said.

Several areas in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh also received fresh snowfall Tuesday with Kalpa recording 9.6 cm fall, followed by Khadrala 6 cm, Keylong 3 cm and Shillari 1 cm.

Besides, several parts of the state, including Manali, Nichar, Bharmaur, Jubbal, Wangtoo and Seobagh experienced light rains on Tuesday.

The tribal district of Lahaul and Spiti's administrative centre Keylong was recorded as the coldest place in the state at minus 2.7 degrees Celsius, Singh said.

In Haryana and Punjab, meanwhile, the minimum temperatures rose slightly and remained above normal limits at most places.

Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a low of 12.3 degrees Celsius, three notches above the normal for this time of year, according to the Meteorological Department here.

In Haryana, Ambala recorded a minimum of 11 degrees Celsius, up one notch against the normal while Karnal recorded a low of 10 degrees Celsius.

However, Hisar registered a four-degree below normal minimum at 7.2 degrees Celsius.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)