Delhi gets first winter ice in 70 years

The capital city of 14 million people ordered schools shut for three days beginning Monday as the mercury for the first time since 1935 plummeted to 0.2 degrees C (32.36 F) Sunday, leaving mounds of ice on cars parked in the open.

White-laced streets greeted early risers in New Delhi but any novelty value brought by the cold temperatures soon died as frost on power cables sparked partial power cuts across large swathes of the crowded city, the privately-run BSES utility provider said.

In 1935, Delhi recorded minus 0.6 degrees Celsius.

"I was born in New Delhi and this is the first time we are seeing ice on grass... It's just like snow... It's heavenly," said Supriya Singh, a fashion designer. Her jubilation was not shared by the city's homeless thousands.

Haryana state's Karnal city which adjoins New Delhi also shivered at 0.1 Celsius, eight degrees below normal for this time of the year, the weather officials said.