IMD: Cold day conditions to persist in state till December 28

Patna: The India Meteorological Department (IMD), Patna, on Thursday issued an orange alert for all 38 districts of Bihar, warning of persistent cold day conditions and dense to very dense fog till Dec 28. The severe winter spell has been attributed to high-altitude, fast-moving winds over northeast India, blowing at speeds of nearly 260km per hour. A western disturbance from the Himalayan region is also expected to affect the state from Dec 27, keeping atmospheric conditions cold and unstable.During the last 24 hours, Bihar witnessed extreme winter conditions. In Patna, the minimum and maximum temperatures were recorded at 12.6 degrees Celsius and 18.4 degrees Celsius respectively. Agwanpur in Saharsa reported the lowest minimum temperature at 6.7 degrees Celsius, while a severe cold day was officially recorded in Purnia. Standard cold day conditions prevailed in districts such as Bhagalpur, Gaya and Madhubani. Dense to very dense fog severely reduced visibility in several regions. Visibility dropped to as low as 20 metres in Gaya and Bhagalpur, posing serious risks for commuters and potentially disrupting air and rail services. While Kishanganj recorded the highest maximum temperature in the state at 23 degrees Celsius, most districts saw maximum temperatures ranging between 16.2 and 20.3 degrees Celsius.According to the forecast, very dense fog is likely to continue over northern, south-western and south-eastern parts of Bihar. Cold day conditions, defined by daytime temperatures remaining significantly below normal, are expected to persist over north-central and south-eastern regions.The IMD has predicted dry weather conditions over the next seven days, but relief from fog is unlikely in the immediate term. Moderate to dense fog is expected to prevail across the state for the next four to five days. Between Dec 29 and Dec 30, the most intense cold and fog are likely to shift towards western and north-central districts. Temperature trends suggest no major variation in day or night temperatures over the next three to four days, prolonging the state’s harsh winter spell.