This winter the northern states of India have been lashed with an intense cold wave, crippling normal life in most parts of the region.
The northern states have seen mercury dipping precipitously, which in a cascading effect has seen temperatures drop is most parts of the country.
The worst-hit is Jammu and Kashmir, where Ladakh recorded a minimum temperate of -14 degress Celsius on Wednesday.
Pahalgam, a tourist town in Anantnag district and a popular hill station, recorded a minimum temperature of -12 degree Celsius followed by Gulmarg, another tourist spot, recording a minimum temperate of -10 degrees Celsius.
Similarly, the states of Punjab and Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh have witnessed a fall in their minimum temperature amidst a persistent cold wave which has brought normal life to a standstill.
The Delhi government has announced thta municipal primary schools in the capital will be closed till January 19 in view of the extreme cold conditions prevailing in the city, while the Haryana government has the announced closure of primary schools in the state till January 16.
On Wednesday, cold wave conditions abated slightly in Delhi and the NCR region, northern Parts of Rajasthan and northern Uttar Pradesh due to sunny spells, which led to an uptick in the minimum temperature.
Similarly, the western states of Gujarat and Maharashtra have witnessed a slight dip in their temperatures during the night, while the southern parts of India are witnessing a temperature of around 20 to 26 degrees Celsius.