The meteorological centre has issued warning of cold to severe cold condition at a few places in the plains of the State, particularly in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts, for the next 72 hours. Besides, ground frost would continue to form in the mountains of Uttarakhand over the same period.
Meanwhile, Dehradun continued to be under the chilling spell with the minimum temperature remaining in the neighbourhood of 5 degree Celsius on Friday. The roads were found mostly deserted during the morning hours and also after evening settled.
The elderly people, eager to go out for morning or evening walks, are now giving them a miss because of the chilling cold condition prevailing in the city. K N Bhatt, 68, resident of Vikaslok said,” I am missing my morning walk due to the cold. I am coming out now only after 10 am when things become a bit tolerable as the sun starts giving warmth.” People are being seen gathering around bonfire lit on the roadsides, seeking warmth in the night hours. Some experts gave their opinion and said that elderly people need to save themselves from chilly weather for their well-being.
The meteorological centre says that the temperature is likely to dip further in the coming three days in the city as elsewhere in the State while fog would engulf the plain districts. Friday saw the maximum and minimum temperatures settling at 21.1 degree Celsius, two notches above the normal, and 5.6 degree Celsius, normal, respectively in Dehradun. In Pantnagar, the maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 14.9 degree Celsius, four notches below the normal, and 3.2 degree Celsius, three notches below the normal, respectively. In Tehri, the maximum and minimum temperatures recorded were 12.4 degree Celsius and 3.0 degree Celsius respectively.
The state Meteorological Centre director Bikram Singh said that Dehradun would see clear to partly cloudy sky on Saturday while dense fog would engulf many areas in the plains like Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts during next the 72 hours.