JAN 08 –

Weather updates provided by the Meteorological Forecasting Division (MFD) indicated that Tarai districts in central and western regions of the country remained under a thick blanket of fog in the wee hours which continued for the whole day since Monday while high-altitude districts saw snowfall and rain at places.

“The bad weather caused by a cold wave and persistent fog is likely to severely impact life in the western districts. Westerly disturbance, a phenomenon responsible for winter rains, is approaching the western region,” said Shanti Kandel, a meteorologist at the MFD, on Tuesday. There are chances of rainfall in some places.

Most flights were cancelled on Tuesday due to poor ground visibility. According to airlines operators, except Pokhara and Tumlingtar, there were no flights to and from Bhadrapur, Biratnagar, Bhairahawa, Dhangadhi, Janakpur, Nepalgunj and Simara.Buddha Air was forced to cancel at least 15 flights while Yeti Airlines cancelled 13. Officials said that flight cancellations were on the rise in the last two weeks. In winter months, it is common for domestic flights to be delayed or cancelled owing to adverse weather. Around 40 percent cancellations last year were attributed to bad weather.

A report from Sunsari said District Hospital, Inaruwa is witnessing a rise in the flow of children suffering from cold related diarrhoea and pneumonia with more than 10 new cases reported daily. In Chitwan, the cold and foggy weather prompted a drop in the number of people visiting public offices for regular services.

Teaching-learning activities were affected in schools and colleges as students and teachers were forced to sit around fires to keep warm. The movement of local and light vehicles thinned but the mobility of long-haul vehicles was largely unaffected, according to Rabin Shrestha, the traffic affairs chief in the district.

On Tuesday, Jumla recorded the lowest temperature at minus 7.5 degree Celsius among all the 18 meteorological stations run by the MFD. The lowest temperature in Kathmandu was one degree Celsius.

Source: Kantipur

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The cold wave has affected life across the country, particularly in central and western Tarai districts, amid forecasts of sustained weather condition until later this week.