JAIPUR: People in the state on Thursday witnessed severe cold wave conditions on the New Year eve as mercury dipped further.
Mount Abu in hills and Churu in plains remained coldest in the state where a minimum temperature of -4.4°C and -4°C, respectively, the Met reports said.
Attributing the continued dip in the mercury to the active northerly winds and vanishing of factors including western disturbances, Jaipur Met office stated that similar conditions will prevail in the state in the next couple of days.
People in Jaipur woke up to the coldest morning of the season so far as a minimum temperature of 4.6°C was recorded. In 2019, Jaipur had recorded its minimum temperature of 1.4°C. Later in the day, a maximum temperature of 22°C was recorded. Fog and mist also affected normal life and vehicular traffic especially on the highways connecting Jaipur to Agra, Jaipur to Sikar and Jaipur to Churu. On the outskirts of Jaipur, farmers were upset with the shivering cold conditions as it has damaged the vegetable crops especially of the tomatoes.
Mount Abu and Fatehpur were followed by Churu where a minimum temperature of -1.3°C was recorded, Sikar 0°C, Pilani 0.2°C, Bhilwara 2.5°C, Sriganganagar 3.9°C, Chittorgarh 4°C, Bikaner and Jaipur 4.6°C each, Barmer 4.8°C, Kota 5.6°C, Phalodi 6.4°C, Jaisalmer 6.8°C and Udaipur 7°C.
People in Sikar, Churu and Pilani were surprised to see water turned into ice in taps. Even during the daytime, the roads wore a deserted look as people confined themselves to their homes. Those on the streets were seen beating the shivering cold with bonfire.
In its forecast, Jaipur Met office stated that from Saturday onwards there is a possibility of some respite when cloudy conditions will prevail in some parts of the state. A rise of almost 4°C on an average is expected in various parts of the state.