As the year ends, Uttar Pradesh is set to experience significant weather variations, particularly in its western regions. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the last week of December may bring rain to parts of western Uttar Pradesh, including cities like Noida, Meerut, and Ghaziabad, due to an active western disturbance. While daytime temperatures in some areas of the state are expected to be around 2°C higher than average, nighttime temperatures will continue to drop, resulting in chilly evenings.
The slow wind speed, averaging 1.5 kilometers per hour, has minimized the impact of cold waves across Uttar Pradesh and neighboring states. However, this condition is expected to change in the last week of the year as weather patterns shift due to disturbances originating in the Bay of Bengal. Clouds forming over the Bay of Bengal are predicted to move towards western Uttar Pradesh, potentially bringing heavy rainfall to the region.
Rain is likely to affect western Uttar Pradesh, especially cities like Noida, Meerut, and Ghaziabad. This rainfall is expected to intensify the winter chill in these areas, with dense fog and plummeting temperatures likely to disrupt normal life. Residents in these districts may experience increased cold conditions during the New Year celebrations, as the western disturbance becomes more active.
In central Uttar Pradesh, cities like Lucknow and Kanpur are also predicted to face the effects of snowfall in the Himalayan states. These regions are likely to witness biting cold, accompanied by foggy conditions that may cause inconvenience to locals. The “City of Nawabs,” Lucknow, is expected to endure dense fog, reducing visibility and causing potential travel delays.
Eastern Uttar Pradesh, covering cities like Varanasi, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Bareilly, Pratapgarh, and Deoria, will likely be blanketed in fog. This persistent fog is expected to impact New Year celebrations, as visibility issues continue to affect daily activities. Additionally, train services between Uttar Pradesh and major metropolitan cities like Delhi and Mumbai are already delayed due to fog and are likely to remain so until the New Year.
The active western disturbance, expected to bring winds of up to 3 kilometers per hour by late December, will result in snowfall in the Himalayan regions. This phenomenon is projected to intensify cold conditions across the plains of North India, including Uttar Pradesh.
Alongside the chill, pollution levels are expected to rise, with areas near Delhi recording an Air Quality Index (AQI) of over 400. This combination of cold and pollution may exacerbate health issues in affected regions as the year comes to a close.
