Gurugram, Jan. 13 -- Residents of Gurugram awoke to a piercing and historic cold on Monday morning as the city's temperature plunged to a near-freezing 0.6 degrees Celsius (degC) - a low unmatched in nearly 50 years and one that made the city colder than several popular Himalayan hill stations.

According to data from the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) automatic weather station (AWS), Monday morning's reading matched the minimum of 0.6degC last recorded on January 22, 1977.

Gurugram's AWS has only recorded temperatures under 0.6degC thrice before - it recorded an all-time low of -0.4degC on December 5, 1966; the mercury touched 0degC on January 11, 1970; while it was 0.3degC on January 22, 1979, according to data shared by IMD....