Bhopal, Dec 13
Bone-chilling cold with icy winds continues in Madhya Pradesh as night temperatures in several districts dropped below 5 degrees Celsius on Thursday.
Pachmarhi, the only hill station in the state remained coldest at a minimum of 3.4 degrees Celsius, while the night temperatures in Raisen, Rajgarh and Umariya districts also remained between 4.4 and 4.8 degrees Celsius.
Similarly, the night temperature in the capital city of Bhopal remained at 6.8 degrees Celsius for the third consecutive day. Whereas, the minimum temperature in Indore was 10 degree Celsius on Thursday night.
Due to extreme cold, school timing in several districts, including Bhopal and Raisen were rescheduled at 9 a.m. against 7:30 a.m. on Thursday.
The icy winds that have impacted Gwalior-Chambal and Malwa-Nimar regions most have also reached Bhopal and other adjoining districts on Friday morning. Despite clear skies, people are experiencing a tough time.
Icy winds have also prompted zoo authorities to step up with protective measures for birds and other wild animals.
Uttam Yadav, in charge of the Zoological garden in Indore, said the department has started putting green nets in cages for birds and lamps are also being placed to protect them from cold.
The Meteorological Department has predicted a cold wave in Jabalpur, Niwari, Tikamgarh, Satna, Panna, Chhatarpur, Rewa, Umariya, Bhopal, Rajgarh, Shajapur, Sehore, Sheopur, Neemach, Vidisha and several other districts on Friday.
Usually, cold waves are experienced in the last week of December, but the cold has increased due to snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. There may be a drop in day and night temperature during the next 48 hours.
According to IMD Bhopal's senior meteorologist Divya E. Surendran, two factors are contributing to the extreme cold in Madhya Pradesh at present.
Firstly, the high-speed winds at an altitude of 12.6 km in northwest India are bringing cold air to Madhya Pradesh. If these winds pick up speed or lower in altitude, the cold will intensify.
Second, a western disturbance over northern Pakistan, along with a cyclonic circulation, is causing snow to melt and cold winds to blow into the region.