Dense fog engulfed many parts of North India, leading to a drop in visibility and temperatures and affecting train and flight operations. 202 flights were cancelled as visibility dropped to zero at Delhi’s Gandhi International Airport. According to IMD’s last 24-hour data, the maximum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 16 degrees Celsius, three degrees below normal, and the minimum at 7.6 degrees Celsius. Fog is expected to prevail in Delhi till January 8, while light rain is expected on January 6. As of Friday morning, Delhi’s temperature was 9.6 degrees Celsius, making it the fifth coldest day in the national capital. At 8 am, visibility was recorded at 0 metres at Delhi’s Palam Airport, while visibility was 50 metres at Modern Delhi’s Safdarjung Airport.
Both airports are not used for commercial flight operations. According to the CPCB, the discus quality record at Lodhi Street station is 309, which is placed in the ‘very poor’ category. Flights of several airlines, including SpiceJet, IndiGo and Discus India, were affected, as Delhi airport reported a general delay of six minutes for inbound flights and 47 minutes for outbound flights, according to Flightradar24. SpiceJet said all flights to and from Amritsar and Guwahati were affected due to bad weather, while IndiGo issued a travel warning with an abnormal focus on Delhi, Amritsar, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Guwahati routes. Airlines encouraged passengers to check flight plans when planning their journeys, warning that flights may be cancelled if visibility remains poor. At least 24 trains returning from Delhi were postponed due to weather conditions. Among the affected trains, Ayodhya Express is running four hours late, Gorakhdham Express is running more than two hours late, and Bihar Kranti Express and Shramik Shakti Express are running more than three hours late. Dense fog is expected in Delhi, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Amritsar and Guwahati on Friday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) nowcast warning has been issued for dense fog in Delhi, Kota, Bundi, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Churu, Sriganganagar and Tonk in Rajasthan, Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Pool Taran and Kapurthala in Punjab and Kurukshetra, Ambala, Panchkula and Yamunanagar in Haryana. Meanwhile, light rain and snowfall is expected in parts of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh. A “cold day” occurs when the minimum temperature is less than 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum or minimum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees below what is considered normal for a particular period.
