Cold Day Prevails In UP Even As Cold-Related Death Toll Climbs to … – The Weather Channel

A cold and foggy morning in Delhi

Monday, January 9: For Uttar Pradesh, the punishing chill from the past week has seeped into this week as well. And in its battle against its coldest month, the state continues to witness dozens of casualties daily.

Things started to go downhill on January 6, when heart attack and brain stroke triggered by the frigid temperatures claimed the lives of 25 individuals in Uttar Pradesh's Kanpur district. Now, in a rather alarming turn of events, the death toll has touched 98, as per data from the Laxmipat Singhania Institute of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery in Kanpur.

Dense to very dense fog will continue to blanket Uttar Pradesh during the next 24 hours, with dense fog forecast in isolated pockets thereafter for the subsequent two days. Further, cold-day to severe cold-day conditions are very likely in Uttar Pradesh on Monday (January 9), while cold-day conditions are possible in isolated pockets over the region on Tuesday (January 10).

As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the prevailing light winds and high moisture near the surface of the Indo-Gangetic plains are the primary causes behind such blinding fog levels. Back-to-back western disturbances over northern parts from January 9-12 are also adding to the winter woes of the region.

In view of these conditions, a red warning (meaning 'take action') has been sounded over Uttar Pradesh and its neighbouring regions like Delhi for today. District-level red warnings have been issued over several districts, including Muzaffarnagar, Bijnor, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Kanpur and Sultanpur. The state capital Lucknow will retain an orange alert (meaning 'be prepared') for today.

The IMD declares a cold day in the plains when the minimum temperature is below 10C, and the subsequent maximum temperature drops at least 4.5C below normal. On the other hand, a severe coldwave is declared when the minimum temperature dips to 2C or the departure from normal is more than 6.4C.

Ground frost conditions are also very likely in isolated pockets of West Uttar Pradesh on Monday and Tuesday.

The freezing conditions are expected to abate after Wednesday. In the meantime, residents would do well to adopt preventive measures to keep themselves safe from the cold. These include drinking plenty of warm fluids, eating a Vitamin C-rich diet, moisturising skin using oil or cream and wearing adequate warm clothes before stepping out.

In the past week, 723 heart patients visited the emergency and outpatient department of the hospital. Of them, 14 suffering from the severe cold died of a heart attack on Saturday, 6 people died while receiving treatment, and 8 persons were brought dead to the Institute of Heart Disease.

Further, within the past 24 hours, 14 patients have died at the city's SPS Heart Institute.

A sharp drop in mercury levels during the winter is a common health risk, specifically for your heart, in ways you may not expect. The cold causes blood vessels to contract, raising your blood pressure and increasing your risk of heart attack and stroke. Angina, or chest pain due to coronary heart disease, can also worsen in winter when coronary arteries constrict in the cold. Hence it is crucial to protect yourself from these elements.

"Heart attacks in this cold weather are not restricted only to the elderly. We have got cases when even teenagers have suffered a heart attack. Everyone, irrespective of age, should keep warm and stay indoors as far as possible," said a faculty member at King George's Medical University in Lucknow.

Meanwhile, schools in several districts of the state, including Lucknow, will remain closed till January 14 due to ongoing cold wave conditions, an official notice issued by the district magistrates in various districts read.

"In view of the difficulty being faced by the students in reaching the schools due to the extreme cold wave, all schools in urban and rural areas from classes 1 to 8 will remain closed from January 9 to 14," the notice said.

(With inputs from IANS)

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Cold Day Prevails In UP Even As Cold-Related Death Toll Climbs to ... - The Weather Channel