 North India zonal map | |
| Type | Cold wave,avalanches,rainfall,snowfall |
|---|---|
| Formed | 3 January 2017 |
| Lowest temperature | −12.4 °C (9.7 °F)[1] |
| Fatalities | At least 16 in North India due to cold weather, another 25 due to avalanches in Kashmir[2] |
| Areas affected | North India,Kashmir Valley |
North India was devastated by acold wave during the month of January 2017. This occurrence had a severe effect on several North Indianstates,[3] includingHimachal Pradesh,Jammu and Kashmir,Punjab,Haryana,Rajasthan,[4] andUttar Pradesh. The lowest temperature inGulmarg due to the cold wave was recorded at −12.4 °C (9.7 °F).[5] The banks ofDal Lake inSrinagar froze.Keylong of Himachal Pradesh andKargil of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed low temperatures of −13.9 °C (7.0 °F).
Several army camps inKashmir bound sectors were damaged and many people died in avalanches in Kashmir districts near theLine of Control during the last few days of January 2017.[6]
The minimum temperatures in some parts of North Indian states fell below freezing, with rainfall andsnowfall.[citation needed] Parts ofGujarat[7] andMadhya Pradesh were[8] affected by the cold wave, with a fall in temperatures at night. Due to intensefog and lack of visibility, several trains running through North India were delayed and rescheduled.[9] Seven people inShimla lost their lives due to the cold wave.[10] Nine people died in parts ofUttar Pradesh,[11] capitalLucknow where the temperature fell to 0.1 °C (32.2 °F). Three people died due to fog related accidents in North India.[12]
India's capitalNew Delhi witnessed minimum temperatures of 3.4 °C (38.1 °F).[13] Several schools ofNoida andDelhi were closed, due to the severity of thecold wave. Thewestern disturbances which creates an upper aircyclonic circulation over Jammu and Kashmir caused rainfall inChandigarh, which was recorded byIndia Meteorological Department as the heaviest rainfall in Chandigarh in the last 22 years.[14]
Five people including an army officer, died in anavalanche inKashmir. Four members of a family were killed in avalanches in theGanderbal andBandipora districts of Kashmir. One army officer died due to an avalanche on an army camp atSonamarg.Fifteen Indian soldiers died and several soldiers went missing due to three avalanches that hit theGurez andKupwara Sectors of Kashmir, Bandipora district near theLine of Control on 26 January 2017.[15]
A rescue team operated immediately to search for missing soldiers[16] and helped the civilians evacuate from snowfall and avalanche-prone villages of Gurez to safer areas. The rescue operations byIndian Army, saved five army personnel trapped under snow by the avalanche that had hit the Army post inKupwara district. All five later succumbed to their injuries while recuperating in hospitals.[17] Three corpses of victims were retrieved during the rescue operations in theGurez sector.