AGARTALA, December 26 (TIWN): A cold wave has gripped Tripura for the past two days with the north-westerly wind coupled with deep fog affecting rail and air traffic.

 According to a Met official, the dip in temperature to a cold wind blowing in from the Himalayan region reinforced by another wind blowing from the Siberian region of Russia.

“The Himalayan wind which has created the cold wave has deviated this year from its normal path towards Afghanistan and headed towards the Northeast and eastern India. This is being reinforced by another wind from the Siberian region blowing towards Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and further east.” The official added that dip in the maximum temperature and lack of sufficient sunlight could worsen the condition in the next 48 hours, the official said.

The maximum temperature in Agartala during the last 48 hours was 20 degrees Celsius, about 7.5 degrees below normal, while the minimum was record at nine degrees with 100 per cent humidity. "Though the minimum temperature in the state is almost normal, the maximum temperature shows a downward trend with north-easterly cold wind blowing over the state from Himalaya," the Agro-met advisory service of Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) Tripura unit said, adding that the weather condition will continue for rest of the week. Thin attendance was reported in schools, colleges and government offices in past two days. People stayed off the streets and markets wore a deserted look in the mornings and evenings.