Thick fog covers Delhi as cold wave continues; nearly 50 flights, 30 trains affected

NEW DELHI, JAN 16 : Cold wave conditions continued in Delhi as a thick layer of fog covered the national capital on Tuesday. 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.

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.

As the visibility reduced, nearly 30 flights departing from Delhi were delayed, while 17 others were cancelled, news agency ANI reported, quoting airport sources. Nearly 30 trains were also arriving late in Delhi today.

30 trains to Delhi from various parts of the country are running late due to dense fog conditions as on 16th January (ANI)

30 trains to Delhi from various parts of the country are running late due to dense fog conditions as on 16th January (ANI)

Meanwhile, passengers at the Delhi airport and railway station were seen waiting as dense fog affected the flight and train operations on Tuesday.

According to the India Meteorological Department, “Delhi Palam (VIDP) and Safdarjung Airports are reporting 500m visibilities at 0530 hrs IST today, the 16th January.”

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On Monday, the weather department’s morning bulletin stated that dense to very dense fog would persist until Tuesday in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Punjab. Additionally, cold to severe cold conditions were forecast across North India until Tuesday.

January 15 marked the coldest morning this winter as the minimum temperature dropped to 3.3°C at Safdarjung, the official weather observatory of the national capital. Meanwhile, at Lodhi Road, another weather monitoring station in Delhi, the minimum temperature was recorded at 3.1°C.

On Sunday, Delhi experienced a minimum temperature of 3.5°C at Safdarjung and 3.4°C at Lodhi Road. The lowest temperature has remained below 4 degrees Celsius in Delhi since Friday.

COLD WAVE CONDITIONS IN PUNJAB, HARYANA

As dense fog blanketed parts of North India, three flights were cancelled, and an additional three faced delays in Chandigarh. Simultaneously, elementary schools in the city have been instructed to remain closed after January 20. Nevertheless, schools for Classes 10, 11, and 12 will commence after 9:30 am.

Layer of fog seen from Punjab to northeast India across Haryana, North MP, UP, Bihar and West Bengal at 0530 hrs IST (@Indiametdept)

Layer of fog seen from Punjab to northeast India across Haryana, North MP, UP, Bihar and West Bengal at 0530 hrs IST (@Indiametdept)

In response to the prevailing excessive cold conditions, the India Meteorological Department has issued a red alert for parts of Punjab and Haryana.

According to the department, cold to severe cold conditions are expected to persist in some areas of these states until January 16 (today).

On Monday, numerous locations in both states experienced sub-zero temperatures.

LOW VISIBILITY ACROSS STATES

The India Meteorological Department reported that Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh recorded zero visibility, while Satna recorded 50 meters.

“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,” the IMD stated on X.

“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,” it added.

“Airport 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; Tezpur 50m; Agartala 100m; Vijayawada 100m; Bagdogra 100m,” the IMD tweeted.

-PTI