Warmer day in the plains, winter woes elsewhere (Intro Roundup)

NEW DELHI - A warm Friday cheered the national capital and its neighbouring cities while snow in the Himalayan towns and heavy fog in Kolkata compuded people’s winter woes.

Eight more people died in Uttar Pradesh, highlighting the grimness of the weather impact. The state’s total toll has now hit 125.

Many cities are in line for light rains in the coming days, the regional weather offices said.

A sunny and warm day greeted Delhi, Chandigarh and Agra as well as many other cities in Uttar Pradesh.

While the expected light rain kept away from the national capital, people in many cities of Punjab and Haryana saw a drizzle in the morning.

The sunny day in Delhi with a maximum temperature of 24.3 degrees set the right start for a pleasant weekend. The cheer did not fail the people as the expected rain kept away from the city.

Chandigarh too had a pleasant day with a minimum temperature of 8.2 degrees Celsius. Coming after a long spell of foggy and chilly days, the warmth was more than welcome to the the people.

The Taj city of Agra also had a pleasantly warm day, adding to the festive cheer of its residents celebrating the Lohri and Makar Sankranti festivals.

After being the coldest city in Uttar Pradesh for many days, the warmer day in Agra brought more tourists to enjoy the sun at the Taj Mahal.

“The tourists are back in full flow. This is the ideal weather in Agra for western tourists. Cultural activities will also pick up momentum from now on,” said Surendra Sharma, president of the Braj Mandal Heritage Conservation Society.

Allahabad was the warmest in Uttar Pradesh at a low of 9.8 degrees minimum.

However, Kolkata on the east coast had a nightmarish day Friday as thick fog threw normal life out of gear.

According to officials, the visibility at the airport was so poor in the morning that as many as 40 flights could not take off and 13 were diverted to other cities.

Hundreds of passengers were caught at the airport and had to wait for hours for the fog to clear and flights resume.

Train and road traffic were equally hit. Several trains have been delayed.

Up in the hills, winter continued its sting. Heavy snow forced the closure of the strategic Srinagar-Jammu highway in Jammu and Kashmir.

Road links to the border towns of Keran and Tangdhar in north Kashmir Kupwara district also were snapped Friday after over two feet of snow piled up on the Sadna Top.

Shimla and Manali in Himachal Pradesh also received light to moderate snowfall, bringing down the temperature by several degrees. The temperature swung between 2.7 degrees and 11.4 degrees in Shimla.

The hill town residents in the state have been warned of more snow and rain Saturday.