The cold wave sweeping North India has claimed more lives raising the death toll.In Uttar Pradesh, the cold wave has claimed 10 more lives during past 24 hours in eastern districts. With this the death toll in current spell has gone over 25. The normal life remains paralysed as cold wave is sweeping the entire state. Maximum and minimum temperatures were below normal by 5 to 13 degree Celsius. Meerut and Moradabad divisions are experiencing severe cold whereas Muzaffarnagar district remained coldest place with a minimum temperature of 2 degrees Celsius. Our Gorakhpur correspondent reports that mist and foggy condition still prevails in some eastern districts. He ads that there is no let-up from foggy conditions in Varanasi, Gorakhpur, Azamgarh and Basti divisions as there is no sign of sunshine for past 5 days. Three deaths have been reported from Jaunpur district while two succumbed to severe cold in Ghazipur. One person each died in Ballia, Varanasi, Mirzapur, Gorakhpur and Azamgarh districts. People are being seen huddled before bonfires on streets while roads wore a deserted look. Several trains on Delhi-Howrah and North-east route are running several hours’ behind schedule. The met office has predicted no let up in weather conditions.
As predicted by the met department, temperatures remained low and residents of New Delhi, who went to bed on a fog-enveloped Monday night, woke up to a foggy morning and a cloudy sky.
Schedules of around 40 flights were hit today as dense fog enveloped the Indira Gandhi International Airport for the third consecutive day, causing inconvenience to passengers. Airport sources said, as many as 29 domestic and international flights were delayed by half-an-hour to five hours and 10 were cancelled.The weather office has predicted a foggy morning but a clear sky in the later part of the day.
Dense fog affected air and rail traffic in Rajasthan, with the maximum impact being felt in Jaipur. Two Jaipur-bound flights were diverted and at least six early morning trains arrived late at Jaipur railway station. Mount Abu and Churu were the coldest areas recording a minimum temperature of 3.8 and 5.1 degree Celsius. Uttarakhand's hill districts bucked the trend, basking in sunshine.
Despite clear skies, there is no respite from the bone-chilling cold across the plains of Punjab and Haryana.
In Himachal, the minimum temperature at high altitude areas is hovering between -1 to -10 degrees Celsius. Keylong town of Lahaul-Spiti district is the coldest place in the state with minimum temperature hitting below -8 degrees Celsius. With 'white Christmas' giving yet another miss to tourist towns of Himachal, the New Year eve is expected to get some snow as Shimla Met department has predicted change in weather conditions after December 26 with rain and snow predicted.
Bihar was also hit by a cold wave and thick fog, disrupting rail and air services.
