PHOTOS: Battling the harsh North India winter

Intense cold wave coupled with dense fog led to the death of 12 persons -- nine in Uttar Pradesh and three in Punjab.

Hilly regions of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh reeled under temperatures below the freezing point, while dense fog in the plains caused low visibility affecting flight operations and delaying around 100 trains on Thursday.

Delhiites on Friday woke up to another chilly morning with moderate to dense fog engulfing the city which continued to disrupt rail traffic with 8 trains cancelled and 79 delayed.

The minimum temperature settled two notches below the season's average at 6.3 degrees Celsius.

"Visibility was 700 metres at 8.30 am and the humidity recorded was 94 per cent," a metrological department official said.

The weatherman has predicted mainly clear sky for the day.

"The maximum temperature is likely to settle at 17 degrees Celsius," a MeT official said.

While eight trains were cancelled 79 of them were running late. Timings of three trains including the Amritsar-Nanded Sachkhand express, Amritsar-New Delhi Express and Jalandhar-New Delhi express have been rescheduled, a railway official said. However, no diversion or cancellation of flights due to fog was reported, according to airport authorities.

On Thursday, the minimum temperature settled two notches below normal at 6 degrees Celsius and the maximum was recorded at 16 degrees Celsius, six notches below normal.

Cold conditions continued unabated in several parts of Punjab and Haryana even as a thick blanket of fog threw normal life out of gear in the two states.

Thick fog, which has in the past few days adversely affected road, rail and air traffic, prevailed at most places in both the states early, MeT department said.

In Haryana's Narnaul, the minimum temperature settled at two degrees Celsius, down by three notches than normal. Amritsar in Punjab also reeled under severe cold conditions as the minimum temperature was recorded at 4.8 degree Celsius.

Ludhiana and Patiala recorded near similar minimum temperatures at 6.4 and 6.7 degree Celsius respectively.         

Karnal and Ambala in Haryana registered below normal lows of 6 and 5.9 degree Celsius respectively. The minimum temperature in Hisar was recorded at 5.1 degree Celsius while Chandigarh, which remained engulfed in fog this morning, braved a cold night at 5 degrees.

Over the past few days, the day temperatures in the two states have been hovering in the range of 10 to 15 degree Celsius.

Meanwhile, the Kashmir Valley reeled under sub-zero temperature as mercury settled at minus 3.9 degrees Celsius and in the cold desert of Ladakh it remained under the minus 10 degrees mark freezing most water bodies and fringes of the famous Dal Lake.

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