According to Met officials, the January this year has been the coldest in the last 30 years with almost 16 days of frost, thus, affecting crops especially the potato yield.

While Sunday forced city residents not to venture out in the open but the night and day temperatures took an upward swing. The minimum temperature was 7.2 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature was recorded at 12.01 degrees Celsius. Rainfall all over the state has been around 2 mm on an average as per the Met experts at the Indian Metrological Department in Chandigarh. These Met experts predict that the sun will play hide and seek on Monday.

Meanwhile Dr K K Gill, assistant professor, Department of Agriculture Agro metrology, PAU, “This rainfall is because of some of the western disturbances. The cloud picture that we received on Friday showed that this kind of cloudy weather with possibility of showers on Monday.”

The rain kept most people indoors and market wore a deserted look for a good part of the day. It was only in the evening that residents dressed up in heavy woollens dared to get out of their homes.

Trader Ravi Verma in Ghumar Mandi said, “We spend most part of the day near a small bonfire.”