Weather update: Severe cold, dense fog prevails in north India; schools closed in many states

New Delhi: Severe cold and dense to very dense fog conditions continue to prevail in many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and the harsh weather conditions are likely to continue for the next 2-3 days, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). According to data from the IMD, foggy weather conditions prevailed across north India with low visibility recorded in parts of different states on Sunday night. Punjab`s Bhatinda reported 'zero' visibility, according to the IMD data recorded at 11.30 PM on Sunday. 

Places like Ambala, Hissar, Bahraich, and Gaya also witnessed foggy conditions and visibility lowered to 50 meters. Visibility in Uttar Pradesh`s Lucknow was recorded to be at 100, while Palam reported visibility of 400 meters, the data showed. 

A thick layer of fog engulfed Delhi on Sunday morning, lowering the visibility across the national capital along with severe cold waves. On Saturday, IMD predicted that cold waves and cold day conditions are likely to continue over northwest India during the next two days. Due to the continuation of prevailing light winds and high moisture near the surface over Indo-Gangetic plains, dense to very dense fog is very likely to continue in some/many parts during night and morning hours over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh during next two days and in isolated pockets thereafter for subsequent three days over the region, the meteorological department had said. 

Several Trains Cancelled, Flights Delayed 

According to the Railway Ministry, hundreds of trains were either cancelled or delayed on Sunday due to the severe fog and zero visibility in North India. According to a statement by the railway ministry, 335 trains were delayed to weather conditions while 88 trains had to be cancelled. Similarly, several flights were also delayed due to poor visibility at Delhi and other airports across Noth India. 

Holidays Extended in Several States

In view of biting cold conditions, several states have extended the winter vacations till January 15. Keeping in mind the severe cold conditions, a revised notice was issued by the Government of Uttar Pradesh regarding holidays in schools of the state. An official notice has been issued by the district magistrates in various districts. As per the notice, all schools up to class 8 will remain closed till January 14. The notice further mentioned that online classes would be conducted for students from classes 9 to 12 and in case the classes will not be conducted due to any reason holiday till January 11 will be declared.

The notice mentioned that pre-board practical classes will run from 10 am to 2 pm. The notice further mentioned that there will not be any compulsion to uniforms in schools, and all the students will be able to wear any kind of warm clothes.

For the last few days, a huge drop in temperature is being recorded in the entire Bihar including Patna. In view of this, orders have been issued to close the school. The District Magistrate of Patna, Chandrashekhar Singh on Saturday also issued a notice to close both government and private schools up to Class 10 in the state till January 14."In view of the cold wave conditions, schools in Patna will remain closed for students up to Class 10 till January 14," the DM said in the notice.

Education departments in several states have given orders to keep schools closed. Earlier, the Jharkhand government on Sunday issued a notice to close both government and private schools for students of class KG to class VII in the state till January 14. Regular classes will resume on January 16."In view of the cold wave conditions, schools in Jharkhand will remain closed for students from KG to standard 5 till January 14 and regular classes will resume from January 16," the Government said in the notice. 

Amid cold wave conditions in the national capital, winter vacation in Delhi's private schools have been extended till January 15, a circular from the Delhi government's Directorate of Education said. Private schools were slated to reopen after winter break on January 9.

"In continuation to the DOE's (Directorate of Education) earlier circular, all private schools of Delhi are advised to remain close till January 15, 2023, in the wake of cold wave prevailing in Delhi," the circular read. Prime Minister's Office said on Sunday after holding a high-level review meeting. Central government agencies and experts are assisting Uttarakhand to prepare plans to deal with the Joshimath situation and the immediate priority is the safety of the people, it said.

What Does IMD's Weather Forecast Say?

Meanwhile, the IMD said that cold wave/severe cold wave conditions are very likely in some parts of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, north Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. IMD on Saturday also issued a red alert for the next 24 to 48 hours, warning of severe cold in parts of North India, including Delhi. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 2 degrees Celsius on Saturday. In an exclusive interview with ANI, RK Jenanmani, a weather scientist at IMD said, "The Delhi University`s Ridge area recorded a minimum of 1.5 degrees Celsius today, which is the lowest recorded this season."

The official weather station for the Capital, Safdarjung, recorded a minimum temperature of 2.2 degrees Celcius, while Lodhi road logged 2 degrees Celcius. Jenanmani said severe cold conditions are prevailing in Delhi-NCR and parts of the national capital are, in fact, colder than some popular tourist destinations in the sub-Himalayan region."

The western disturbance, which was expected to break this cold spell, hasn`t been too effective. A vast swathe of the North Indian belt, including Delhi, North Madhya Pradesh, North Rajasthan, Punjab and Western Uttar Pradesh, are colder than Shimla, Manali and the western Himalayan region where the minimum temperature has increased," he said

He added, "The Indian Meteorological Department has issued red alerts for the next 24 to 48 hours, warning of severe cold in North India and dense fog for North Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana Chandigarh, Delhi and western Uttar Pradesh. An `orange alert will also be in place for January 8 to 9 night. Thereafter, the severe cold is likely to abate. We expect the Western Disturbance to take effect from January 10 and there will, hence, be some respite from the cold from January 9."For the next 48 hours, people are advised to take all the safety measures and avoid stepping out, unless it is very urgent," Janemani said.

(With Agency Inputs)