|
Going by the temperature trend of the past few days, don’t pack up your woollens. Another round of cold spell is in store.
For six days from Thursday, the minimum temperature in the city would hover between 7°C and 9°C. Weathermen said a change in wind direction from the prevailing easterly to the westerly would trigger the fresh round of cold spell.
Ashish Sen, the director of India Meteorology Department (IMD), told The Telegraph on Tuesday: “The city is likely to witness another spell of cold weather from February 7 because of the revival of the westerly wind. It would pull down the minimum temperature from the prevailing 11-12°C to 7-9°C. The maximum temperature would, however, remain almost the same — around 24°C. The wind speed would be around 5-6kmph.”
The minimum temperature in the city increased by five degrees over the past 10 days. On January 25, the mercury dipped to 5.6°C. On Monday, it was 11.8°C — a degree above normal. (See graphic)
Sen said the temperature in the city would remain slightly above normal till Wednesday.
Most citizens hailed the rise in the temperature. “The sun has finally started burning bright in the clear skies. It is comparatively warmer during the evening hours as well. So, I am wearing fewer woollens these days,” said Anupam Kumar, a resident of Jagdeo Path.
Health experts, however, cautioned people against giving up wearing woollens all of a sudden. “The thermostatic mechanism of the body is not accustomed to frequent fluctuation in the temperature. Thus, people should be careful at present and ensure that the entire body is covered from morning to evening. Negligence in this kind of weather condition can cause viral fever, respiratory and blood pressure related ailments among other health disorders,” said Dr Rajiv Ranjan Prasad, a professor of physiology at Patna Medical College and Hospital.
With another round of cold spell on the anvil, the city residents should tread cautious path. People residing in the north-western parts of the state should be even more careful. There could be slight rainfall in those areas on February 6 and 7 because of a western disturbance prevailing over Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir.
Sen said: “An intense western disturbance presently affecting the western Himalayan region and the plains of northwest India is expected to form clouds in the troposphere over north-western parts of Bihar stretching from West Champaran to Sitamarhi. Accordingly, light rainfall is expected in that region on February 6 and 7. The showers might trigger moisture incursion in the central parts of the state, including Patna, which might lead to formation of fog in the early morning hours.”
| 
)
