Fresh snowfall on the 4,000-metre-high Himalayan peaks is now affecting the plains. Cold winds descending from the mountains are reaching the lowlands directly. With no system to block them, the cold and chill have intensified.

Minimum temperatures have dropped below 10°C in 12 districts of Rajasthan, 10 districts of Madhya Pradesh, 1 district of Chhattisgarh, and 8 districts of Himachal Pradesh. Cities like Bhopal, Rajgarh, and Indore in Madhya Pradesh have joined hill stations like Gulmarg and Srinagar among the country’s top 12 coldest cities.

Meanwhile, amid the returning monsoon rains in the south, the chill is being felt in Ooty. At the hill station, dew on car windshields, vehicles, and plants has frozen.

Weather pictures from across the country...

New Delhi: Drone view of Nizam

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