Dense fog and cold waves are likely to grip North India on Monday with the India Meteorological Department issuing orange and yellow alerts in many areas across Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana and Punjab. In the wake of these warning, the schools in Patna, Bihar's capital city, for students up to class 8 will remain shut till January 7. Meanwhile, the Punjab government has extended winter holidays in all the government, private and aided schools till January 8.

Besides this, Ladakh's Padum in North West India recorded a minimum temperature of -25.1°C on Monday, the IMD said.

The Indian weather department has predicted, "cold wave conditions in isolated pockets over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand during 1st to 4th Jan; over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi during 1st to 5th Jan; and over West Uttar Pradesh on 2nd & 3rd January 2023."

Know about state-wise alerts and the latest updates on weather across India here:

Delhi

The IMD has predicted, "mainly clear sky" and "shallow fog" in parts of Delhi on Monday. The situation is likely to worsen on January 3, with the IMD predicting dense fog in the morning.

Meanwhile, the air quality in the national capital was recorded in the 'very poor' category on Monday with the Air Quality Index reaching 301. According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the AQI in the National Capital Region of Gurugram stood at 353, while it was 351 in Noida.

"People with heart disease, older adults and children should avoid longer or heavy exertion," a message on the SAFAR app said.

Punjab

The entire state is on IMD's orange alert. The weather department has predicted fog and cold wave conditions in districts Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur, Faridkot, Bathinda, Pathankot, Ludhiana and Sanguru.

According to ANI, the Punjab government has extended winter holidays in all the government, private and aided schools till January 8, 2023. "All schools in the state would not open on January 2 as announced earlier. The schools would now open on January 9, 2023," said School Education Minister Harjot Singh Bains.

Haryana

Districts including Sirsa, Fatehabad, Kaithal, Karnal and Ambana are on orange alert, while Bhiwani, Hisar, Rewari, Mewat and Gurgoan are on yellow alert, predicting cold waves in these regions.

Uttar Pradesh

Several parts of Uttar Pradesh are also on a cold wave and fog alert. These areas include Sharampur, Bijnor, Meerut, Hardoi, Kanpur Dehat, Bahraich, Shrawasti, Gonda, Kanpur Dehat, Prayagraj, Basti and Varanasi.

Patna

Like Punjab, the entire state of Bihar is also on orange alert, with the weather department predicting fog and cold waves in many regions. In view of the cold wave conditions, "schools in Patna will remain closed for students up to class 8 from January 2 to January 7," Patna District Magistrate said.

First Published:Jan 2, 2023 10:44 AM IST