LUCKNOW: A piercing cold wave sweeping the Uttar Pradesh plains has further intensified as five persons across Uttar Pradesh died due to hostile weather conditions during the last 24 hours. Icy winds coupled with a considerable drop in day temperature added to winter woes of people in the state.
In fact, the entire region– from east to west-- is in grip of intense winters. Of the five casualties reported, three persons died in Azamgarh, in eastern UP, due to dense fog and extremely poor visibility while two succumbed to sweeping cold wave conditions in Badaun, the western UP district.
According to regional met office sources, day temperatures had fallen appreciably in Gorakhpur, Faizabad, Varanasi and Allahabad divisions in eastern UP, and Bareilly, Moradabad, Agra, Meerut, Shamli and Muzaffarnagar in the west during the last 24 hours. Muzaffarnagar witnessed minimum 3.40-degree celsius, remaining the coldest during this period.
Meanwhile, the temperature of Kanpur division in central UP too plummeted much below the normal.
Though state capital Lucknow and adjoining districts witnessed a little bit of sunshine but the strong icy winds neutralised the warmth of sun leaving the people to shiver all through the day on Thursday. Almost the entire state remained in grip of piercing cold. Campfires are being arranged in different cities and towns with shelter homes also coming up to bring some relief to shelterless people on streets.
Even rail and road traffic has been badly hit by the inclement weather with scores of long-distance trains running much behind their scheduled time in the state.
The met office sources said possibility of relief from the chill during the next 24 hours was remote. Moreover, the cold wave was likely to intensify at some places in the state and fog may also turn the situation worse, said the met officials.