Schools in Uttar Pradesh to remain closed till January 5 amid cold wave conditions

In response to a severe cold wave, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered the closure of all schools until January 5.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday ordered the closure of all schools, from primary levels to Class 12 across all boards (ICSE, CBSE, UP and others), till January 5 in view of an intense cold wave.

Yogi Adityanath also tasked officials with ensuring the safety of vulnerable populations and providing necessary support during the harsh winter conditions. (PTI)

He also instructed officials to stay on alert, carry out field inspections, distribute blankets, stop people from sleeping outdoors, and ensure full preparedness at night shelters.

Cold wave across Uttar Pradesh

Large parts of Uttar Pradesh are reeling under intense winter conditions, with dense to very dense fog and below-normal temperatures affecting daily life across the state, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The IMD said dense to very dense fog conditions are likely to persist over both west and east Uttar Pradesh during night and early morning hours till January 5, with isolated pockets continuing to see poor visibility even beyond that period. On January 2, 3 and 4, the state is expected to witness dense to very dense fog at isolated places, significantly impacting road, rail and air movement.

Fog conditions have already turned severe in several districts. Visibility dropped to near zero at multiple locations in east Uttar Pradesh, including Gorakhpur, Kushinagar, Prayagraj, Kanpur and Azamgarh, while parts of west Uttar Pradesh such as Agra, Hamirpur, Moradabad and Jhansi also reported extremely low visibility levels. Cities like Lucknow, Varanasi, Ayodhya and Ghazipur recorded visibility as low as 50 metres, as per an IMD bulletin.

Minimum temperatures across Uttar Pradesh have dipped markedly below normal, with both east and west Uttar Pradesh recording departures of more than 5 degrees Celsius below seasonal averages at isolated places. The IMD noted that these conditions are contributing to prolonged cold stress, particularly during early morning and night-time hours.