Gangotri (Uttarakhand) [India], January 12 (ANI): The Gangotri Dham of Uttarakhand was shrouded in white after heavy snowfall on Wednesday late night.

Even as the popular pilgrimage site, covered in snow, made for a pretty picture, the fresh burst of snow brought with it a biting chill sweeping the lower reaches of the Dham.

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The snowfall and the chill dragged the mercury down further to -3 degrees Celsius.

The Met department said the temperature is likely to drop to as low as -9 degrees Celsius in a fresh spell of severe cold that is likely to grip the northern plains in the weekend and over the next week.

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Already in the grip of a severe cold spell, there's more bad news in the offing for North India as vast swathes of the region are likely to experience a drop in temperatures to a minimum of -4 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 2 degrees Celsius in the plains, according to a weather expert.

According to a tweet by the weather expert, the icy, severe chill would be experienced between January 14 and 19 and is likely to peak from January 16 to 18. (ANI)

(The above story is verified and authored by ANI staff, ANI is South Asia's leading multimedia news agency with over 100 bureaus in India, South Asia and across the globe. ANI brings the latest news on Politics and Current Affairs in India & around the World, Sports, Health, Fitness, Entertainment, & News. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)