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NEW DELHI: On Tuesday, Cold wave conditions continued in Delhi as a thick layer of fog covered the national capital . Satellite imagery showed a dense elongated band of fog stretching from Punjab to the northeast.
According to the India Meteorological Department, the temperature in the national capital was recorded at 4.8 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, while in Palam, the temperature was 7.2 degrees Celsius. A spokesperson for the railways said 30 trains arriving in Delhi were delayed by up to six hours due to foggy weather.
At 5:30 am, visibility levels stood at zero meters in Varanasi, Agra, Gwalior, Jammu, Pathankot and Chandigarh; 20 meters in Gaya; 50 meters in Prayagraj and Tezpur; 100 meters in Agartala; 200 meters in Amritsar; and 300 meters in Gorakhpur. The IMD also said 100 m visibility was reported at 0700 hrs IST at Palam Airport, while it dropped to 0 m at 0730 hrs IST. At Safadrjung airport, the visibility was 50 m at 0700 hrs, and at 0730 hrs IST, it said.
At the Palam Observatory near the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi, visibility was limited to only 50 metres. As the visibility reduced, nearly 30 flights departing from Delhi were delayed, while 17 others were cancelled, according to the reports, quoting airport sources. Nearly 30 trains were also arriving late in Delhi today.
Meanwhile, passengers at the Delhi airport and railway station were seen waiting as dense fog affected the flight and train operations on Tuesday. Early morning foggy weather in north and northeast India has heavily impacted road, rail and air traffic over the last fortnight.
On Monday, the weather department’s morning bulletin said that dense to very dense fog would continue till tomorrow (Tuesday) in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh and Punjab. Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Monday that all stakeholders are working round-the-clock to minimise fog-related disruptions. Furthermore, cold to severe cold conditions were also forecast across North India till Tuesday.
January 15 also recorded the coldest morning this winter as the minimum temperature dropped to 3.3°C at Safdarjung – the official weather observatory of the national capital. In Lodhi Road, another weather monitoring station in Delhi, the minimum temperature was recorded at 3.1°C.On Sunday, Delhi saw a minimum temperature of 3.5°C at Safdarjung and 3.4°C at Lodhi Road. The mercury has remained below 4 degrees Celsius in Delhi since Friday as residents shiver in biting cold.
As dense fog layered parts of North India, three flights were cancelled, while three others were delayed in Chandigarh. Meanwhile, elementary schools in the city have been ordered to remain closed after January 20. However, schools for Classes 10, 11 and 12 will open after 9.30 am.In the wake of excessive cold conditions, the India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert in parts of Punjab and Haryana.
It also said cold to severe cold conditions will continue to prevail in some parts of the said states till January 16 (today).On Monday, parts of both states witnessed sub-zero temperatures in many places.The India Meteorological Department also said Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh recorded zero visibility, while Satna recorded of 50 mt.
On social media platform X, the IMD wrote, “Madhya Pradesh: Gwalior-00, Satna-50; Assam: Tezpur-50 ,Guwahati-500; Tripura: Agartala-50; Andhra Pradesh: Vijayawada-50; West Bengal: Digha, Haldia-200 each, Diamond Harbour, Kolkata/Alipore, Malda-500 each; Delhi: Safdarjung, Palam-500 each.”
It added,”Punjab: Patiala-25, Amritsar-200; Haryana & Chandigarh: Chandigarh-00, Ambala-25, Hissar-50; Uttar Pradesh: Varanasi-00, Bahraich-25, Lucknow, sultanpur-200 each, Bareilly, Jhansi, Gorakhpur-300 each; Bihar: Gaya-20, Patna,Bhagalpur-500 each; Northwest Rajasthan: Ganganagar-50.”
The IMD also tweeted, “Airports visibility data shows the following visibilities in dense to very dense fog conditions: Varanasi 00m; Agra 00m; Gwalior 00m; Jammu 00m; Pathankot 00m; Chandigarh 00m; Gaya 20m; Prayagraj 50m; Tejpur 50m; Agartala 100m; Vijaywada 100m; Bagdogra 100m.”
