Lucknow: A severe cold wave accompanied by dense fog has turned deadly across Uttar Pradesh, claiming at least eight lives on Sunday.
Icy winds sweeping down from the mountains sharply intensified the chill, triggering hypothermia-related deaths in several districts and disrupting daily life.
Death Toll and Incidents
- Kanpur: Four deaths attributed to the cold
- Banda: Two deaths
- Varanasi and Prayagraj: One death each
- Lucknow: One person died after an SUV overturned amid near-zero visibility caused by dense fog
Temperatures Plunge, Visibility Near Zero
Dense fog reduced visibility to almost zero in Agra, Aligarh, and Barabanki. Sultanpur emerged as the coldest spot in the state, recording a minimum of 4.7°C, followed closely by Barabanki (4.8°C) and Ayodhya (5°C).
In Lucknow, the maximum temperature settled at 18.9°C—3.5°C below normal—while the night temperature rose slightly above average to 10.1°C.
The Gorakhpur–Basti division remained under a blanket of fog throughout the day; Gorakhpur recorded a maximum of 15.6°C, a sharp 7.4°C below normal.
Kanpur saw the night temperature dip to 6.4°C, about 3.2°C below average, while Moradabad recorded its lowest night temperature of the season at 9°C.
Eastern UP, Limited Sunlight Offers Little Relief
Parts of eastern UP saw brief sunshine in the afternoon, but strong, icy winds nullified any relief. In Varanasi, temperatures hovered at 18.1°C (day) and 9.8°C (night). Prayagraj remained shrouded in mist through the morning; a resident of Phulpur died due to cold exposure.
Kashmir Snowfall, ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’ Begins
The cold intensified across North India as Kashmir entered ‘Chilla-i-Kalan’, the harshest 40-day winter spell, with the season’s first snowfall reported.
Tourists flocked to Gulmarg to enjoy fresh snow, but the weather disrupted travel—11 flights were cancelled from Srinagar airport due to low visibility.
Wider North India Impact
Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi-NCR, Bihar, and UP remained under a thick fog blanket, complicating road, rail, and air movement.
In Rajasthan, night temperatures rose by about 4°C in many areas, but the weather department has forecast a 3–4°C drop from December 24 onward.
Alerts and Outlook
The Meteorological Department has issued a yellow alert for dense fog in the plains of Uttarakhand, including Dehradun, Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, Nainital, Champawat, and Pauri, warning of possible cold-day conditions.
Latest update: Weather officials caution that the cold wave and fog are likely to persist over the next few days across the Indo-Gangetic plains, urging people—especially the elderly, homeless, and outdoor workers—to take precautions against exposure.
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