Live Blog: Weather updates

Pahalgam was the coldest recorded place in Kashmir. The officials said Pahalgam, which serves as the base camp for the annual Amarnath yatra, recorded a low of minus 2 degree Celsius. The mercury in Kupwara in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 0.3 degree Celsius. Qazigund, the gateway town to the valley, recorded minus 0.6 degree Celsius, while as Kokernag, also in south, registered a low of minus 0.1 degree Celsius.

The night temperature rose across Kashmir valley on Tuesday night. The minimum temperature settled above freezing point in Srinagar for the first time in more than a week. The valley had been experiencing sub-zero nights for the past week, setting in chilly winter conditions earlier than usual, MET officials said. Srinagar recorded a low of 0.3 degree Celsius on Tuesday night, up from minus 2.3 degree Celsius the previous night.

Churu was recorded as the coldest place in Rajasthan at 6.5 degree Celsius, the meteorological department said on Wednesday. Sangaria in Hanumangarh district recorded its minimum temperature at 7.2 degree Celsius. The night temperature in most places in the state was between 10 to 16 degree Celsius. The conditions are expected to remain the same in the next 24 hours.

Due to depression and upper air cyclonic circulation in the Bay of Bengal and Arabian sea, the state received heavy downpour in November. According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Management Authority Commissioner Manoj Rajan, the state received an average of 129 mm rainfall in November.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday called Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai and assured necessary cooperation and assistance to the rain- and flood-hit regions of the state. In a set of tweets, the office of the Chief Minister said the Prime Minister telephoned Bommai and took stock of the situation.

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai has directed officials to immediately disburse compensation to those whose homes have been fully or partially damaged. "I have instructed immediate release of Rs. 1 lakh (first installment) to those whose houses have been fully damaged."

Southern Indian states of Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh have been witnessing flood-like situation due to heavy rains lately. The continuous downpour has also caused fatalities and damage to properties. In Karnataka, at least 24 people have died in rain-related incidents this month.

India Meteorological Department issued a warning on Monday that some parts of Punjab, Haryana and northern Rajasthan are likely to witness season’s first cold wave in the next two days. The weather office declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature drops below 10 degree Celsius or is 4.5 degrees lower than the season’s normal for two straight days. A cold wave is also declared when the minimum temperature is less than 4 degrees in the plains.

Southern India, including Karnataka, Kerala, Mahe, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal, is likely to witness widespread light to moderate rainfall during the next five days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The weather agency also forecasted isolated heavy rainfall in coastal Karnataka during the same period.