Fog slows down UP: Schools shut, trains delayed
With western disturbances intensifying in the past 2-3 days, a further drop in mercury, accompanied by dense fog, could be witnessed in next 3-4 days, says weather expert
KANPUR/PRAYAGRAJ/GORAKHPUR/AGRA/VARANASI Several parts of Uttar Pradesh woke up to a thick blanket of fog on Monday morning as cold wave gripped the state. Visibility dropped to less than 30 metres in Kanpur, according to the CS Azad University for Agriculture and Technology.
In wake of the weather conditions, schools were shut till January 11 for all classes. After that, online classes will be conducted, wherever possible. For schools unable to facilitate online education, physical classes will be held between 10am and 3pm, as confirmed by the district magistrate’s office.
Weather scientist Dr SN Sunil Pandey warned that the dense fog and cold wave conditions were unlikely to relent over the next two weeks.
Fog and chill made Prayagraj shiver as the outskirts of the district remained under fog cover till 11am on Monday while fog remained dense in Sangam nose area making lives of devotees tough in Mahakumbh Mela. Traffic movement was also partially affected in different parts of the city.
With the western disturbances intensifying in the past two to three days, a further drop in mercury, accompanied with more dense fog, could be witnessed in the next three to four days, said prof BN Mishra, weather expert and former faculty at Allahabad University.
“The ongoing temperate cyclone rising from Mediterranean Sea was a result of polar winds rising from north and westerly winds from south which clashed and formed a front resulting in intensifying of western disturbances,” he informed.
Dense fog in Gorakhpur reduced visibility to below 100 metres on the National Highway from Gorakhpur to Lucknow. Similar conditions were witnessed in Siddharth Nagar and near Sonauli town of Maharajganj while people in Kushinagar experienced icy winds early in the morning.
Weather scientist Kailash Pandey said the sudden dense fog was due to western disturbances and claimed that a dip in temperature would be experienced in days to come. The minimum temperature was 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum was 19 degrees, he added.
NER chief PRO PK Singh said a dozen passenger trains had been cancelled due to fog while many long route trains, including Gorakhdham, Vaishali Express and LTT Express, were running 8 to 12 hours late due to reduced visibility.
Over six trains ran behind schedule and reached Varanasi over an hour late on Monday. Reduced visibility at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport affected air traffic.
Varanasi logged a maximum temperature of 14.4 degrees (6.5 degrees below normal). The minimum was 11.2 degrees (2.6 degrees below normal).
Reduced speed limit on e-ways
The western part of UP also reeled under cold wave as schools remained shut in Agra. No respite from cold is on the cards and rains are forecast in days ahead. The city’s maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 14.5 and 9.9 degrees, said the Met department.
The speed limit on expressways was bought down to 75 km per hour for four-wheelers since December 15 to prevent pile-ups, a possibility in foggy weather. While about 40 trains were running late in Agra division of North Central Railway, there was a sharp decline in the number of passengers travelling in roadways buses.
