State shivers as relentless cold and dense fog exacerbate chill

Patna: The state remains locked in an unforgiving winter grip with bone-chilling cold, dense fog and sunless days pushing daily life to the edge. As people struggle through freezing mornings and ghostly roads, the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Patna, has warned that the state is in for a prolonged spell of “cold day” conditions and “very dense fog”, offering little hope of relief in the immediate days ahead.According to IMD’s bulletin issued on Friday, the orange alert will remain in force till the end of the month. The prevailing weather system is expected to persist for another four to five days, prolonging the misery for residents already battling numb fingers, delayed transport and severely reduced visibility.The outlook for the coming week remains bleak. IMD has continued its warning for cold day conditions across north-western, north-central and southern districts till Dec 30. By Dec 27, fog intensity is forecast to increase further over north-western and north-central parts of the state with visibility likely to drop to near-zero in isolated pockets. Although maximum temperatures are expected to stay between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius in districts such as Muzaffarpur, Darbhanga and Bhagalpur, the thick fog layer blocking sunlight means the cold will continue to feel harsher than the numbers suggest.On Friday, the lowest minimum temperature in the state fell to 7.4 degrees Celsius at Aurangabad and Sabour while the highest maximum temperature was recorded at 24.1 degrees Celsius in Kishanganj. A further drop of one to three degrees Celsius in south-central and south-western regions over the past 24 hours deepened the biting chill. In Patna, the maximum temperature was recorded at 14.6 degrees Celsius and the minimum settled at 10 degrees Celsius.Visibility has emerged as a major concern with very dense fog enveloping key urban centres, including Patna, Gaya and Valmiki Nagar, where visibility dropped to just 100 metres. The conditions have disrupted rail and road traffic with delays reported from several districts and fog lingering even into afternoon hours. District-wise data show that while the weather remains dry, high moisture levels and calm winds have created a stubborn fog trap likely to persist for at least five more days. In the northern belt from West Champaran to Kishanganj, elevated humidity has further intensified the cold, making the ‘real feel’ temperature significantly lower than actual readings.As the year draws to a close, meteorological trends indicate that both maximum and minimum temperatures will remain largely unchanged for the next three to four days. Districts such as Rohtas, Bhabua and Jehanabad have been advised to take precautions as night temperatures continue to stay below the 10-degree mark.With dry weather expected across the state for the next seven days, the immediate challenge for the administration lies in managing dense fog-related disruptions and safeguarding public movement during this prolonged and punishing cold spell.