Cold claims 2 more lives in UP, toll reaches 36

New Delhi, Dec 18 (UNI) With two more deaths reported in the last 24 hours in Uttar Pradesh, the death toll due to cold wave conditions rose to 36 in the state as the Kashmir Valley and Ladakh region witnessed freezing temperatures.

Following snowfall in the upper reaches of Uttranchal extreme cold conditions continue to prevail in Uttar Pradesh.

Till now extreme cold conditions have claimed lives of 10 people in Mahoba, four in Bareilly, three in Hardoi, two each in Sant Kabir Nagar, Siddharthnagar, Moradabad, Lucknow, Badaun and Hamirpur and one each in Basti, Lalitpur, Bhadoi, Sultanpur and Bijnore.

The Kashmir valley and Ladakh region are under the grip of a severe cold wave, with temperatures going several degrees below normal.

A weather office spokesman told UNI that nights in the valley are cold because of icy cold winds sweeping the entire belt.

The minimum temperature in Srinagar was recorded at minus 3.4 degrees Celsius, which was 2.4 degree below normal, he said, adding the coming days would be more colder.

The western disturbances in Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir has resulted in fluctuations in temperatures across Rajasthan.

Churu remained the coldest, at 4.4 degree Celsius.

According to meteorological department, the temperatures are fluctuating between two to four degree Celsius under the pressure of western disturbances.

Cold North Easterly winds today brought the mercury down to 7.9 degrees Celsius in Delhi.

The maximum also dropped to 23.4 degrees Celsius, from 26.5 degrees C yesterday.

Cold Northwesterly winds sent Delhiites in a shiver, specially during the morning hours.

Though meteorological department has forecast a rise in mercury in the next few days, it said the later part of the week could witness a return to icy cold conditions under the influence of a fresh Western disturbance.

Official sources have forecast more chilly days ahead as western disturbances, moving over northern Pakistan, are fast approaching Jammu and Kashmir, which could result in further snowfall and further drop in the temperature.

Rain or thundershowers are likely to occur at isolated places in Tamil Nadu and Andaman and Nicobar islands.

Rain or thundershowers have taken place at isolated places in Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Andaman and Nicobar.

Mainly dry weather will prevail over Gujarat, Konkan and Goa, madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, Kerala and Lakshadweep. Mainly dry weather prevailed over Arunachal Pradesh, West Bengal and Sikkim, Orissa, Jharkhand, Bihar and Laksahdweep.

UNI TEAM SI RP HT1937