A member of the Sikh community takes a holy dip at ‘Amrit Sarovar’ on the occasion of the ‘Makar Sankranti’ festival, during a cold and foggy winter morning, at the Golden Temple in Amritsar, Wednesday, January 14, 2026.
| Photo Credit: PTI
Amritsar was the coldest place in Punjab on Monday (January 19, 2026), recording a minimum temperature of 2.9°C, as cold weather conditions prevailed in parts of the state and neighbouring Haryana.
The Met department said Amritsar’s minimum temperature was one degree below normal. Faridkot recorded a low of 3.4°C.
Chandigarh, the common capital of the two States, also experienced a cold night with the minimum temperature settling at 6°C, two notches below normal.
Ludhiana and Patiala in Punjab recorded respective minimums of 4.6°C and 6.5°C. Hoshiarpur recorded a low of 5.9°C, Ferozepur 5.7°C, Gurdaspur 6.8°C, while Pathankot registered a minimum of 4.7°C.
In Haryana, Bhiwani was the coldest place in the State, recording a low of 3°C, while Gurugram’s minimum settled at 5.5°C.
Ambala recorded a low of 7.8°C, Karnal recorded a low of 6.4°C, while Narnaul registered a low of 6°C.
Rajasthan sees improvements in temperature
After experiencing biting cold conditions, Rajasthan has begun to see an improvement in temperatures, with most cities in the State now recording minimum temperatures above 10°C.
The State capital, Jaipur, recorded a minimum temperature of 13.7°C on Monday (January 19, 2026) morning. According to the Meteorological Department, Alwar recorded a temperature of 7.2°C, followed by 8.1°C in Sirohi, and 8.3°C each in Lunkaransar and Sriganganagar.
Anta recorded 9°C, Bikaner had 9.2°C, and Banasthali registered 9.3°C. Nagaur recorded the coldest temperature at 7.0°C.
Slight respite from cold conditions in Kashmir
There was some respite from cold wave conditions in Kashmir as minimum temperatures across the valley rose by a couple of degrees, officials said here on Monday (January 19, 2026).
Srinagar recorded a low of -1.2°C on Sunday (January 18, 2026) night, up from the -4.7°C on the previous night.
The tourist resort of Sonamarg in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district registered a low of -8.3°C and was the coldest recorded place in the valley.
Shopian and Pulwama towns in south Kashmir recorded a low of -4.7°C and -5.1°C respectively.
Pahalgam tourist resort in south Kashmir, which also serves as one of the base camps for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of -1.8°C, the officials said.
The night temperature in the popular ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district settled at a low of -3.5°C, they said.
The minimum temperature in Qazigund, the gateway town of the valley, settled at -2.4°C, the officials said.
Kokernag recorded a low of -0.4°C and Kupwara -1.6°C, they added.
Kashmir valley is currently in the midst of ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, 40 days of extreme cold, during which night temperatures often drop several degrees below the freezing point, and the chances of snowfall are the highest.
‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, which began on December 21 last year, ends on January 30.
Published – January 19, 2026 11:58 am IST
