Citizens of the UP state capital woke up to witness an extremely chilly morning coupled with a thick cloak of fog on this Tuesday i.e. January 3. With this, the maximum daytime temperature in Lucknow plunged to a record low of 10.6°C which was 10.3 notches below normal.

Furthermore, the city remained affected by piercing cold gusts which were prevalent throughout the day. Reportedly, the sudden drop in mercury levels has occurred due to icy northwesterly winds transversing from the snow-fed mountains which lie exactly parallel to the plains of Uttar Pradesh.

Previously, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) also issued an alert for extremely cold weather conditions and very dense fog in 36 districts of Uttar Pradesh including Lucknow and Kanpur. The Met department has further stated that similar weather conditions will prevail till Thursday, however slight dilution in the fog cloak is also foreseeable.

Moreover, warmer temperatures can be expected from Sunday onwards providing slight relief to the Lucknowites.

Along with the intensified density of the fog, the pollution levels around Lucknow also soared on this Tuesday. Reportedly, Lucknow recorded an AQI of 219 (poor) on Tuesday as per the data of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

Furthermore, the air quality index is expected to degrade further during the coming days because of the mixing of pollutants from the bonfires which are lit for the prevention of cold.