Cold wave chills Rajasthan

Jaipur: Cold wave conditions intensified in the desert state of Rajasthan Sunday with Churu recording a minimum temperature of 0.5 degree Celsius.

Mount Abu, the only hill station in the state, shivered at 2 degrees Celsius, while Sikar was chilly at 3 degrees Celsius. Dabok near Udaipur and Pilani in the Shekhawati region were cold at 3.4 and 3.8 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Bikaner recorded a minimum of 4.8 degrees Celsius, while state capital Jaipur was chilly at 5.5 degrees Celsius, almost three degrees below normal.

The cold weather conditions are turning out to be a spoil sport for shop owners as a majority of markets report thin attendance late in the evenings.

"If I have to shop then I prefer to go during the afternoon. You feel much better remaining indoors after sunset," said Shweta Singh, a housewife in Jaipur.

An official of the Met Office told IANS that the minimum temperatures are likely to remain the same in the next couple of days.