Varanasi Weather: Rain for 24 Hours Under Cyclone Arnab’s Effect, Temperature Drops by 8°C

Varanasi: The effect of Cyclone Arnab is being felt in Kashi too. Rain that began at 4 am on Thursday has not stopped, and continuous light rain until Friday morning has brought a feeling of cold in October itself. The temperature has fallen by 8 degrees Celsius in just 24 hours.

The maximum temperature has dropped to 24.5 degrees Celsius, which is 7.2 degrees below normal. On Wednesday, Varanasi’s temperature was 32.8 degrees Celsius.

Because of the fall in temperature, roads wore a deserted look on Thursday and Friday mornings. According to the Meteorological Department, Varanasi has become the coldest district in Uttar Pradesh. The difference between day and night temperatures is only three degrees here.

2 mm Rain Recorded

According to meteorologist Dr Atul Kumar Singh, people have been left shivering after 24 hours of continuous rain. Intermittent rain through the day has been recorded at up to 2 millimetres.

The sky has remained cloudy from Thursday morning to evening and again on Friday morning, and the rain continues. Winds are blowing at 25 to 30 kilometres per hour here. The unseasonal rain has brought a feeling of cold, and mud on the roads has added to people’s trouble. The ghats too have turned muddy. All 84 ghats along the Ganga are deserted.

According to Dr Atul, the effect of Cyclone Arnab will lessen from Friday evening, and the weather will begin returning to its earlier state. However, the shivering will increase in the meantime, and it will feel cold.

Besides Kashi, rain has been falling since Thursday morning in districts such as Ghazipur, Sonbhadra, Chandauli and Ballia. An orange alert has also been issued for Friday for thunderstorm, lightning and thunder, and its effect will be seen in Varanasi too. However, it is forecast that sunshine on Saturday morning will help bring the temperature back to normal.

Boat Operations Suspended

Following the cyclone and the alert issued by the Meteorological Department, caution is being exercised in boat operations at the Ganga ghats. Keeping the safety of passengers and devotees in mind, the district administration has, for now, stopped operations of small boats. Operation of big boats is also being done keeping the weather conditions in view.

Vinod Nishad of the Manjhi community said that although the cyclone’s effect in Varanasi is less than expected, the district administration has directed boatmen to remain alert. He said it has been decided, keeping in mind the safety of passengers and devotees arriving here, that boat operations will remain closed until the district administration’s next order. All boats have been tied up safely along the ghats.