LUCKNOW: The winter is knocking at the door. As cold winds from snowfed mountains swept the city on Sunday, the minimum temperature dropped below 10 degrees for the first time in the pre-winter season. The weatherman has asked the people to brace for chill and fog in the first week of December.
State Met director JP Gupta said that the recent western disturbance (WD) that caused rains in the city and state also led to snowfall in hill areas of north India. As soon as the WD fizzled out, dry and cold northwesterly winds coming from the snowfed mountains started lashing the state, including Lucknow, he added.
As a result, the mercury plunged below normal both during the day and night in the city. While the maximum temperature dropped to 24.4 degrees Celsius, three units below normal, on Sunday, the minimum temperature dipped to 9.5 degrees Celsius, two notches below normal. Winds measuring upto 5km per hour also brought a ‘chill effect’ in the air.
The minimum temperature was the lowest, not only in the pre-winter season so far, but also in the past three years in November. Earlier, on November 24, 2017, the lowest minimum temperature had dropped to 8 degrees Celsius.
The Met director said that another western disturbance is approaching the hill states, which will cause more rains and snow in the mountains for the next 6-7 days. During this period, temperatures will increase by a couple of degrees in the plains, he added.