The situation in Uttar Pradesh has worsened due to prevailing cold wave conditions. Dense fog has paralysed normal life in the state, with almost 250 trains and several flights being affected, and road traffic also getting severely affected.
Dense fog has enveloped 30 cities, including Lucknow, Kanpur, and Gorakhpur. Visibility has reached zero in many cities. Dew drops are falling like rain showers in several parts of the state.
Most streets remained deserted, with chilly winds making the weather very chilly. Schools up to grade 8 have been closed in several cities, including Raebareli, Sultanpur, Varanasi, Jaunpur, Unnao, Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Sambhal, and Ambedkar Nagar.
At several railway stations, including Kanpur, Prayagraj, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Agra, and Jhansi, more than 250 trains are running late by two to ten hours. Flights are also delayed.
According to the weather office here, Barabanki was the coldest place in the state, recording a temperature of 4.5 degrees Celsius on Monday. Furthermore, 26 districts were colder than Nainital (6 deg C) and Shimla (11 deg C).
According to the Meteorological Department, the weather will remain bad on Christmas and New Year’s Day. There will be heavy fog, cold winds, and cloudy weather. The temperature on Christmas Day will range between 6 and 11 degrees Celsius, while on New Year’s Day, it may remain between 5 and 11 degrees Celsius, according to the weather office forecast.
Meteorologists say that there has been snowfall in the mountains. The cold winds coming from the hills could cause the temperature to drop further by 2-3 degrees.
The UP government is also on alert. The state Relief Commissioner held a meeting with officials from 25 districts, urging them to remain vigilant. A video was also released urging people to immediately report accidents in the fog by calling 108 and 112. The speed limit on expressways and highways has been reduced to 60 to 80 km per hour.