A sudden and intense cold spell gripped vast swathes of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday, transforming day into night-like chill. Numerous districts experienced a sharp daytime temperature drop of around 10 degrees Celsius, leading to officially declared 'severe cold day' conditions across several regions.
Daytime Mercury Plummets, Prayagraj Turns Coldest
The most striking feature of this cold wave was the drastic fall in maximum daytime temperatures. Prayagraj emerged as the coldest place in the state during the day, recording a high of just 11.4 degrees Celsius. This was a staggering 10.5 degrees Celsius below the normal for this time of year.
Babatpur in Varanasi followed closely, with a maximum temperature of 11.6 degrees Celsius, marking a 9.4-degree departure from the average. Shahjahanpur and Bareilly also felt the brunt, registering their lowest minimum temperatures of this winter season at 11.4 degrees Celsius.
Chilly Nights and the Science Behind the Freeze
The cold was not confined to daylight hours. Night temperatures plunged below the 5-degree Celsius mark in many areas. Churk was the coldest at night, recording a minimum of 4 degrees Celsius. Gorakhpur and Varanasi were not far behind, both shivering at 4.8 degrees Celsius.
Senior scientist Mohammad Danish of the state meteorological department explained the reasons behind this harsh weather. He attributed the conditions to a combination of dense to very dense fog and icy cold north-westerly and westerly winds blowing from the snow-clad Himalayan regions.
"The fog and cold conditions prevailing in the state are due to a western disturbance centred around Punjab," Danish stated. He added that the fog blanket, combined with the cold winds, prevented or significantly delayed sunlight from reaching the ground, leading to the 'cold day' and 'severe cold day' classifications.
Affected Districts and Hopeful Forecast
The Met department reported that 'cold day' conditions were recorded in a long list of districts including Hardoi, Kanpur, Ballia, Banda, Amethi, Farrukhabad, Hamirpur, Moradabad, Aligarh, and Agra. The more intense 'severe cold day' conditions gripped Bareilly, Prayagraj, Jhansi, Varanasi, and Shahjahanpur.
There is, however, some respite on the horizon. The same western disturbance influencing the weather is expected to bring a change. The intense cold spell is likely to see a brief improvement, with a gradual decrease in fog density and a rise in temperatures anticipated by January 11.
According to official Met terminology, a 'cold day' is declared when the maximum temperature is 4.5 to 6.4 degrees below normal. A 'severe cold day' is announced when the maximum temperature plummets to 6.5 degrees or more below the normal average.
