School Holidays Extended In This State: Govt, Private Schools Closed Till Jan 18, Read Details

School Holidays: All government and private schools up to Class 8 in Darbhanga and Patna will remain closed until January 17 and 18, respectively, due to the ongoing cold wave and low temperatures, especially during mornings and evenings. Separate orders were issued by the district magistrates of the respective districts, officials confirmed on Wednesday.

For students in Class 9 and above, classes are permitted between 9:00 AM and 3:30 PM with necessary precautions. Activities related to board examinations are exempted from these restrictions. In Patna, schools for Class 8 and below have been shut since January 5.

The maximum temperature in Bihar fell by 4°C over the past 24 hours. Supaul and Forbesganj (Araria district) recorded the state's highest temperature on Wednesday at 20.6°C, while Dehri (Rohtas district) experienced the lowest at 9.2°C. On Tuesday, Sheikhpura recorded the state's highest temperature at 24.6°C, while Banka had the lowest at 9.1°C.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) reported Patna's minimum temperature would range between 10-12°C, with a maximum of 18-20°C until January 16. Temperatures are expected to rise gradually to 22-24°C by January 18 before dropping again. Dry weather is likely to persist across the state between January 15 and 21, with light to moderate fog prevailing in the mornings until January 17.

Flight Disruptions:

The cold wave also affected air travel. Two flights from Patna to Delhi-IndiGo (6E 2214) and SpiceJet (SG 713)-were canceled on Wednesday. Additionally, 14 flights faced delays, with the first arriving IndiGo flight from Delhi landing at 12:17 PM, over two hours late.

Meanwhile, Air India Express began operating three daily flights from Patna to Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Bhubaneswar on Wednesday.