* Fog hits traffic for third day * Winter break in schools from Dec 24 Jammu — the winter capital of the state—recorded the coldest day of the season with the day temperature plummeting nearly seven degree Celsius below normal. Dense fog and poor visibility continued to badly affect rail and air traffic for the third straight day today. The School Education department has decided to close all government and private schools in the summer zone of Jammu division from December 24 following the chilling weather. “Given the prevalent cold wave and chilly conditions, all government and private schools would observe winter break from December 24,” Tara Chand, deputy chief minister, who holds the portfolio of the School Education Department, told The Tribune. Earlier, there was speculation that the education department could delay the winter break by a week. According to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) officials, Jammu saw its coldest day of the season as the maximum temperature dipped to 13.9°C. The minimum temperature was 9.5°C. “People have been battling the chill following sudden fall in day temperature. There seems to be no immediate relief to the people from intense cold conditions for the next couple of days,” an IMD official said, adding that icy winds forced people to stay indoors as there was difference of just 4°C between maximum and minimum temperature, which was the main reason for the intense cold. The official predicted cloudy weather conditions along with dense fog and mist tomorrow while the maximum and the minimum temperatures would be around 14°C and 8°C, respectively. Meanwhile, inclement weather coupled with dense fog and haze continued to affect the movement of air and rail traffic as five flights were cancelled today. “Due to dense fog and poor visibility, five flights — two of IndiGo, one of Spicejet, one of Go Air and one of Air India — were cancelled today. The first flight landed at Jammu Airport at 12.35 pm while all other flights were late,” Ashok Sharma, Superintendent of Police (Anti-Hijacking), Jammu Airport told The Tribune. The inclement weather also affected train services at Jammu Railway Station. A Railway official said that Pooja Express train was running six hours behind the schedule due to poor visibility while all other trains were running behind the schedule. “The Jhelum Express was running four hours late, while Jammu Mail was late by more than three hours. Al most all other trains were also two to six hours behind schedule,” the official said, adding that the movement of all other trains was badly affected due to dense fog and poor visibility in Northern parts of the country.