Giving no respite to the people, biting cold prevailed in Uttarakhand, with mercury plummeting to several notches below normal in many parts of the hilly areas. Meanwhile, a bright and sunny day failed to provide much relief to the people from the biting cold in Uttarakhand on Friday as minimum temperatures remained below normal at most places in the State. Intense cold and dense fog continued enveloping the plains over the past few days.
Meanwhile, in view of the possibility of the climate worsening further in the coming days, Dehradun district magistrate Ravinath Raman has directed the education officer to ensure that winter vacation for children studying in Class I-V in all the government schools, government aided schools and government unaided schools and public schools is declared from December 20. Morning hours remaining chilling are being attributed to the DM’s move. It is said that the severe cold during the mornings, the time when the children step out to reach schools, might adversely affect their health. The winter vacation for classes VI and onwards the school authorities may decide as per their schools’ guidelines, DM added.
Tehri and Mussoorie shivered on Friday with mercury dipping to near zero degree Celsius, making it yet another cold place in the region.
In the national capital, it was yet another chilly day with the minimum settling at 5.1 degrees Celsius while the maximum was recorded at 21.5 degree Celsius, both the readings being two notches below the normal level, said Uttarakhand Meteorological Centre director Bikram Singh on Friday.
Meanwhile, several parts of the hills experienced further dip in the mercury. The mercury remained below freezing point as Gairsain and Mukteshwar experienced a low of zero or below zero degree Celsius and Tehri experienced a low of 0.6°C while Mussoorie experienced a low of one degree Celsius.
Dehradun shivering in cold, many of morning walkers decided to remain wrapped in the warmth of their beds. “We do not feel like to go out, given the severity of the cold,” said one of them from Nehru Colony Raj Khanna.
Uttarakhand Meteorological Centre has forecast cold wave condition at a few places in the hills and at isolated places in plains of Uttarakhand during next 24 hours. The minimum temperature is expected to keep hovering in the neighbourhod of 5 degree Celsius while maximum might settle at 20 degree Celsius in Dehradun on Saturday.
The Met officer said that dry weather would prevail in Uttarakhand. Ground frost would occur in some areas in the hills on Saturday. The day hours would be sunny in the coming two or three days in Dehradun and other parts of the plains, though the cold would be chilling during morning and evening hours.
The weather forecast for Dehradun on Saturday is mainly clear sky. Fog may engulf some parts of the plains while ground frost may occur in some areas in the hills.