Bihar Battles Bitter Cold With School Closures

Bihar faces severe cold with temperatures dropping below 10°C. The Patna district administration orders school closures until January 11 due to intense cold. The coldest location, Motihari, hit 6.7°C. Dense fog is forecasted in several areas. Schools must operate between specific hours if not closed.

Bihar is experiencing a severe cold wave, as temperatures in several regions dip to 10 degrees Celsius or below, the Meteorological Department reported on Sunday. This has prompted the Patna district administration to issue an order shutting down all schools, both government and private, up to class 8 until January 11.

On Sunday, Motihari recorded the state's lowest temperature at 6.7 degrees Celsius, followed by Saran at 6.9 degrees Celsius, and Dehri at 7 degrees Celsius. Other places like Samastipur, Vaishali, and Patna also saw minimum temperatures close to or just above 9 degrees Celsius, according to the Met office.

Additionally, dense fog was observed in isolated areas, with predictions of dense to very dense fog in the coming days. In response to these conditions, Patna's District Magistrate Chandrashekhar Singh mandated school closures and prescribed specific operation hours for academic activities from January 2 to 6.

(With inputs from agencies.)