Varanasi: Varanasi woke up to a chilly morning on Saturday, with dense fog and humid cold blanketing the city and surrounding areas. Visibility was severely low on roads and ghats, and cloudy skies kept the sun from peeking through.Senior scientist Atul Kumar Singh attributes the sudden chill to cold, dry winds sweeping in from the snow-covered mountains, thanks to a western disturbance that’s pushed temps down in just 48 hours.The met dept has forecast rain and thunderstorms, with fog and humidity making a comeback. After a week of sunny weather, things are likely to settle down post-first week of Feb.Varanasi woke up to a thick fog blanket on Saturday, with cold westerly winds blowing through the city. Visibility was low, and vehicles inched along the roads. The met department had predicted the fog, and it started lifting around 9 am, making way for sunlight and smoother traffic However, even after sunshine during the day, the weather remained cold. In satellite images released by the meteorological department, the effect of cloud activity in the eastern region persisted.In the past 24 hours, the maximum temperature settled at 19.3 degrees Celsius, which was 5 degrees C below normal. Meanwhile, the minimum temperature was recorded at 8.1 degrees C, which was 2.1 degrees C below normal. Clouds kept moving in the sky, with humidity levels stuck between 80% and 97%. Picking up on the change, the met department forecasted cloudy weather for the eastern region over the next three days.
