By IANS
New Delhi : There was no respite for the people living in the northern India as cold wave continued to hold the region in its vice-like grip. Minimum temperatures across the plains were four to six degrees Celsius below the averages for this time of the year, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Intense cold in Delhi forced the government to order all government-run primary schools to be closed for three days from Wednesday.
“It is too cold and we have asked government primary schools to announce holiday for three days,” Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit said on the sidelines of a function here Tuesday.
The minimum temperature in the national capital Tuesday climbed to 5.2 degrees Celsius against 2.3 degrees Celsius Monday, bringing some respite to millions after a cold wave for over a week.
Tuesday was the coldest Jan 29 for Delhi in five years. In 2007, the minimum temperature was 12 degrees Celsius.
Weather officials said the mercury would drop again substantially in the coming days.
“The sudden fluctuation in weather is not uncommon. Tuesday is much warmer than the last few days, but the temperature will drop substantially in a day or two,” said an IMD official.
“The minimum temperature is likely to go down below two degrees soon,” the official told IANS.
Residents in the capital said the cold was quite unbearable.
“I have not seen such long spells of a cold wave in the last few years. It’s really becoming difficult to get up early in the morning,” said Sailabhanu Panda, a mass communication student.
The IMD has also forecast isolated rain or thundershowers over south Haryana and Delhi during in the 24 hrs ending Wednesday.
Most parts of Uttar Pradesh shivered Tuesday as icy winds swept through the state. Meerut city recorded the lowest temperature at 2.8 degrees Celsius.
People in the state capital Lucknow faced a cloudy and cold day with the temperature falling to a minimum of four degrees Celsius. Lucknow experienced the season’s lowest temperature on Jan 1 when the mercury touched 3.6 degrees Celsius.
The biting chill has led the administration to order the closure of all primary schools in the city on Tuesday and Wednesday. Secondary schools have also been asked not to begin classes before 9 a.m.
The following are the maximum and minimum temperatures and rainfall in major cities for the 24 hours till Tuesday morning, with figures in brackets denoting deviations from the average.
City Maximum Temperature Minimum Temperature Rainfall
(C) (C) (mm)
Delhi 16.4 (-6) 5.2 (-3) Nil
Mumbai 30.5 (0) 12.3 (-4) Nil
Chennai 29.0 (0) 23.6 (+3) Nil
Kolkata 23.7 (-4) 12.0 (-2) Nil
Ahmedabad 26.5 (-2) 10.7 (-2) Nil
Bangalore 29.7 (+2) 19.2 (+4) Nil
Bhopal 25.3 (-1) 9.8 (-1) Nil
Bhubaneswar 25.6 (-4) 13.9 (-3) Nil
Chandigarh 16.0 (-5) 3.6 (-4) Nil
Dehradun 12.4 (-8) 4.6 (-2) Nil
Panaji 33.0 (+2) 17.2 (-2) Nil
Guwahati 22.5 (-1) 10.5 (+1) Nil
Hyderabad 29.4 (0) 15.8 (+1) Nil
Jaipur 20.0 (-2) 8.0 (0) Nil
Lucknow 18.5 (-4) 8.4 (0) Nil
Nagpur 28.0 (-2) 10.3 (-3 ) Nil
Patna 20.4 (-4) 9.6 (0) Nil
Pune 29.6 (0) 8.8 (-2) Nil
Srinagar 4.0 (-1) -0.8 (+1) Nil
Thiruvananthapuram 35.0 (+4) 22.9 (+1) Nil