LUCKNOW: Dry ice-cold winds blowing from snowclad mountains continued to lash the city for the second consecutive day, creating intense cold conditions that made people shiver even during the daytime on Saturday even though the sun shone brightly in the afternoon for some time after a clouding morning.
The chilly conditions are likely to continue as no significant change is expected till Tuesday-Wednesday.
Thick fog was also witnessed in some parts of the city in the morning hours but was cleared around 10am by the icy winds wafting at 3-4 km per hour.
However, the chill effect created by these icy winds was so enormous that despite bright sunshine, the maximum temperature in the city on Saturday could not rise above 15.5 degrees Celsius and remained 5.8 degrees below normal. In met parlance, such weather is termed ‘cold day condition’.
However, the blanket of fog returned in the evening and did not allow the temperatures to drop much at night by preventing the ground heat from escaping into the atmosphere.
As a result, the minimum temperature was 8.7 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees above normal.
State Met director JP Gupta said that snowfall and rains that occurred in the hill areas last week are responsible for the intense cold conditions for the past two days.
“The northwesterly winds are bringing the chill of the mountains to the plains. These winds are expected to continue for the next three-four days. Dense fog cover is likely in the morning hours and days will be sunny, but daytime temperatures would remain below normal despite sunshine. Nights too will be cold with temperatures at normal levels,” the State Met director added.
“A western disturbance that is expected to hit the Himalayas by Thursday would curb the flow of icy winds towards the plains, resulting in rise in temperatures,” Gupta said.
This is the second spell of intense cold in the state and city this winter.
A similar big drop in temperature due to icy winds had been experienced in the state capital earlier in the last week of December 2021. However, temperatures have remained above normal in the rest of the cold season so far.
Meanwhile, in its state forecast, the met department has predicted cold day conditions in Bijnor, Amroha, Meerut, Shravasti, Bareilly, Pilibhit, Bahraich, Kheri, Balrampur districts and adjoining areas. These areas may also witness very dense fog.
