Chandigarh, Dec 30 (IANS): Most parts of Punjab and Haryana on Monday saw a slight rise in the mercury despite dense fog and Faridkot town was the coldest in the region with a minimum temperature of 0.7 degree Celsius, a weather official said.

"We have recorded a slight rise in the mercury in most parts of Punjab and Haryana. We have predicted a dip, especially during nights, in the coming days," the official said here.

Punjab's Amritsar city recorded 1.2 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal for this time of the season, and industrial city Ludhiana and Patiala registered a minimum temperature of 4.6 and 4.5 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Chandigarh, which is the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, recorded a minimum temperature of 3.5 degrees Celsius, a rise from Sunday's 2.9 degrees.

In neighbouring Haryana, Ambala saw a minimum temperature of 2.7 degrees Celsius while Karnal and Hisar were 2.8 and 3.6 degrees respectively.

Narnaul and Rohtak towns saw the night temperature at 1.5 and 1.2 degrees respectively.