9 deaths reported from Uttar Pradesh as cold wave intensifies

Lucknow: Nine deaths were reported from some parts of Uttar Pradesh since Friday as cold wave conditions intensified, an official said on Saturday. The weatherman has predicted harsher weather in the next few days as the 'winter chill effect' was going to bring down temperatures even further. The Met office said that the mercury would dip steadily till January 19 after which the weather conditions might improve. Temperature in the state capital was seven degrees below normal, making its the coldest place in the state. The minimum temperature recorded here was at 0.4 degrees Celsius, which is the lowest in several years. The cold wave in the state was termed "unprecedented" by the regional Met office as temperatures in some places touched sub-zero. All schools from class I to VIII were shut till January 16. Kanpur and Sultanpur districts shivered at 1.6 degrees Celsius. Strong seasonal winds blowing from the Siberian region and a western disturbance have added to the winter bite, Regional Director J.P. Gupta from the Met office said. The victims of the intense cold wave have been identified and they were residents of Kannauj and Kanpur rural.