By IANS,
Lucknow: Most parts of Uttar Pradesh Friday woke to a foggy morning and severe chilly conditions. The weatherman said the temperature in many districts had fallen below fvie degrees Celsius, heralding this season’s “bitter chill” time.
The local Met office said the chill would get harsher in coming days.
The Met office said temperatures were three degrees below normal for this time of year, and predicted that the cold wave was set to intensify. State Met director J.P. Gupta said the cold wave was ushered in by the flow of north westerly chilly winds.
The eastern disturbance, which also resulted in rainfall in some parts of western Uttar Pradesh and snowfall in the hilly region, has caused the mercury to dip further.
Friday morning saw a thick blanket of fog across the state capital Lucknow, with visibility dropping considerably and slowing down rail and vehicular traffic. While airport authorities said the drop in visibility had so far not led to cancellation or delay in flight schedules, they said thicker fog that also lingers longer could affect flight time tables.
The mercury touched four degrees Celsius in Muzaffarnagar district of western UP, making it the coldest in the state, followed by Najibabad (5 degrees), Lakhimpuri Kheri (5.6 degrees), Fatehgarh (5.7 degrees), Agra (6.4 degrees), Meerut (7.4 degrees), Shahjahanpur (7.6 degrees) Rae Bareli (8 degrees).
Of the major cities, Kanpur recorded a minimum temperature of 8.4 degrees Celsius, while Allahabad, which hosts the Maha Kumbh from next month, experienced a minimum temperature of 8.4 degrees Celsius. The temple town of Varanasi witnessed a minimum of 10.1 degrees Celsius, while in the state capital the mercury hovered around the nine degrees Celsius mark.