At least four persons have died so far of the cold in Haridwar district as the state continued to shiver under the cold condition with the maximum temperature plummeting to four/five degrees below the normal in many areas in the plains. Taking serious note of the deaths, Haridwar administration has forced around 40 beggars to shift to the state-run shelter homes after they went under medical examination on Saturday.
Moreover, there was no let-up in the cold wave sweeping across the state for the last few days and heavy fog added to the woes of the people living in plains especially Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar of the state. In Pantnagar, the maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 12.3 degree Celsius, seven notches below the normal, and 2.5 degree Celsius, three notches below the normal, respectively.
Matela in Almora district quivered at -4.6 degrees Celsius. Mukteshwar in hills braved the cold at -1.0 degrees Celsius, informed Met Official. Visibility dropped considerably upto 50 metres at many places, including Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar in the morning. Day temperatures in the region have been hovering around 20 degrees Celsius in Dehradun over the last few days. Officials said fog delayed some trains in Dehradun, Haridwar and other parts of the state.
Meteorological centre director Bikram Singh said that cold condition was observed in Udham Singh Nagar district. Moderate to dense fog occurred in some parts of the plains while ground frost was seen at isolated places in the hills of the Himalayan state. The highest maximum temperature 20.6°C was recorded at Dehradun while the lowest minimum temperature -4.6°C was recorded at Matela.
The Meteorological centre has forecast cold to severe cold condition at a few places in the plains, particularly Haridwar and U S Nagar districts, during the next 48 hours. Moderate to dense fog is likely to engulf many places in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts while ground frost would be experienced at isolated places in the hills of Uttarakhand during the next 48 hours.
Dehradun continued to be under the chilling spell with the minimum temperature remaining in the neighbourhood of 4.5 degree Celsius on Saturday. The roads were found mostly deserted during the morning hours and also after evening settled.
The meteorological centre says that the temperature is likely to dip further in the coming two days in the city as elsewhere in the state while fog would engulf the plain districts. Saturday saw the maximum and minimum temperatures settling at 20.6 degree Celsius, one notch below the normal, and 4.5 degree Celsius, two notches below the normal, respectively in Dehradun. In Mukteshwar, the maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 11.3 degree Celsius, one notch below the normal, and -1.0 degree Celsius, three notches below the normal, respectively.
In Tehri, the maximum and minimum temperatures recorded were 12.2 degree Celsius and 1.2 degree Celsius respectively.
Singh said that Dehradun would see clear sky on Sunday while dense fog would engulf many areas in the plains like Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts during next the 48 hours. In Dehradun, the maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 20 degree Celsius and four degree Celsius respectively on Sunday, he added.