Delhi continued to grapple with cold conditions on Tuesday, as the mercury dropped to a minimum of 3.5 degrees Celsius. Approximately 30 flights departing from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport faced delays and 17 were cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), at Safdarjung station, the minimum temperature stood at 3.5 degrees, Palam recorded 5.8 degrees, whereas Lodhi Road and Ayanaagr stood at 3.6 and 4.2, respectively.
A dense layer of fog shrouded the Indo-Gangetic plains in North India, disrupting road and rail traffic with poor visibility. Satellite imagery revealed a concentrated, elongated band of fog extending from Punjab to the northeast.
Railway authorities confirmed that 30 trains arriving in Delhi were delayed by up to six hours due to the foggy conditions.
At 5:30 am, visibility dropped to zero meters in Varanasi, Agra, Gwalior, Jammu, Pathankot, and Chandigarh. Other affected areas included Gaya (20 meters), Prayagraj and Tezpur (50 meters each), Agartala (100 meters), Amritsar (200 meters), and Gorakhpur (300 meters). The Palam Observatory near the Indira Gandhi International Airport reported visibility limited to only 50 meters, as PTI reported.
Looking at the blinding fog, with visibility reduced to zero meters at various locations, the IMD advised people to refrain from unnecessary travel and take precautions while driving.
The IMD also predicted that cold day to severe cold day conditions would endure over the northern plains for an additional two days. It warned of the likelihood of cold wave to severe cold wave conditions continuing over northwest India for next few days.
In the plains, the meteorological office designates a cold wave if the minimum temperature falls to four degrees Celsius or below, or when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees or lower with a deviation of 4.5 notches below the normal.