Lucknow, Jan 22: The intense cold wave sweeping north India has broken records of the last 40 years, the Met office said today as the number of people who died due to cold in Uttar Pradesh rose to 510, with 34 more deaths reported since yesterday. The presence of a cold air pool and anti-cyclonic flow are responsible for the cold wave which is the worst in the last 40 years, director of the Metereological Science Centre, R K Verma said here.
He ruled out speculation that the rise in pollution level was responsible for the intense cold.
Reports reaching here said six people died due to the cold in Pratapgarh, five each died in Kanpur Dehat and Ambedkarnagar, four each in Jhansi and Mau, three each in Mahoba, Sonebhadra and two each in Shrawasti and Jalaun.
Kanpur at minus .6 degrees Celsius and Varanasi with one degree were the coldest in the state while Lucknow recorded the season's lowest temperature of 1.6 degrees Celsius.
According to records available at the science centre, the region has not witnessed severe cold for such a long duration as this year, Verma said adding this was likely to continue.
He said the mercury had plummeted to one or two degrees in previous years also but only for two to three days.
The conditions would improve only after the area received showers, Verma said but added that this was unlikely for the next couple of days. Bureau Report