Cold wave tightens grip on North Indian states; Rajasthan and UP witness temperatures between 0-5°C

As North India continues to reel in the on-going winter waves, states like Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan are witnessing record-breaking cold.

While lowest temperature in Lucknow was recorded at 5.9°C on January 6, the minimum temperature in Kanpur was 5°C, that of Jaipur plummeted to 3.6 degree Celsius and Bikaner to 0 degree C. Amidst the biting cold, as many as 25 people in UP lost their lives to cardiac arrest and brain stroke.

Chances are that Lucknow and Kanpur will experience temperatures falling to 4-5°C today and tomorrow, too. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has, thus, also issued an orange alert on Jan 6-7 for East UP.

While dense fog is expected to occur at a few places in UP, cold wave conditions are also highly likely in the state. Due to the same, IMD has advised localites to remain vigilant.

Even though, weather is slated to remain dry, cold day to severe cold day conditions are highly likely to occur in numerous pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Rajasthan in the next few days.

At the same time, the air quality index (AQI) has also hit a plunge in many cities. The AQI in Lucknow today stood at 347 (very poor) because of which cold wave and fog warnings have been issued in the UP capital. The smog conditions have only seemed to add to the health problems caused by the cold.