Over 20 Trains Delayed Due to Low Visibility, Schools Shut in Patna till Jan 5 Amid Cold Wave.

Source – news18.com

New Delhi: Even as temperatures in parts of north India showed slight improvement, the low visibility conditions persisted delaying 21 trains in the Northern Railway region on Thursday, officials said.

The weather department said the temperatures have increased by 3-4 degree Celsius over most parts of Uttar Pradesh and East Rajasthan and at isolated places in Haryana, Delhi, Punjab, west Madhya Pradesh during the past 24 hours.

However, cold wave conditions continued in Bihar and authorities in Patna ordered closure pf schools till January 5.

The national capital witnessed a sunny New Year’s Day on Wednesday and the maximum temperature rose to 20.5 degrees Celsius, giving people some respite from the bone-chilling cold that persisted for over a fortnight. The weatherman has predicted light rain over Delhi on Thursday.

On New Year’s Day, the minimum temperature was recorded at 2.4 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal, while the maximum settled at 20.5 degrees Celsius, a Meteorological Department official said. On Saturday too, the national capital had recorded a minimum temperature of 2.4 degrees Celsius.

The city was wrapped in a cover of moderate fog with 29 trains being delayed by two to nine hours due to reduced visibility, officials said.

December 2019 recorded 18 consecutive ‘cold days’ or an 18-day ‘cold spell’, the maximum after 17 cold days in December 1997. The maximum temperature in Delhi took a big tumble on Monday to settle at 9.4 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest December day since 1901.