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Five trains cancelled; Ludhiana shivers amid foggy weather
Five trains running from Ludhiana junction station here were cancelled on Wednesday due to the foggy weather; at least 17 trains ran more than one hour behind schedule
As the city passes through the dead of winter, Wednesday saw 10.8 degrees Celsius as the maximum temperature, falling 6.9°C below normal. It was 2.6°C less than the maximum temperature recorded on Tuesday. The minimum temperature was 5.4°C, 0.2°C below normal. The foggy weather resulted in the cancellation of five trains.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) defines a cold day as one when the minimum temperature is 10°C or below, and the maximum temperature remains 4.5°C to 6.4°C below normal. When the maximum temperature drops more than 6.5°C below normal, it is categorised as a severe cold day.
The IMD daily bulletin said that cold day conditions are likely in isolated pockets of Punjab on Thursday. The IMD had already warned of a severe cold day, issuing a red alert issued for the day. The weather also issued a dense fog alert for the next four days.
The city has been enveloped by fog since December 13. Since then, there have been 13 days when the city recorded zero to near zero sunshine days, and sunshine hours have been below the normal of 6.5 hours for December and 6.1 hours for January on most of the other days.
The foggy weather has slowed down rail traffic in the region for a month now. Five trains running from Ludhiana junction station here were cancelled on Wednesday due to the foggy weather. At least 17 trains ran more than one hour behind schedule, while the rest also faced mild delays.
PAU wheat expert GS Mavi said the weather was perfect for the newly sown wheat crop. However, he cautioned against heavy irrigation. He advised light irrigation if necessary. He said heavy irrigation in the absence of much sunlight and very low temperatures can lead to yellowing in the crop.
