Dense Fog Across Delhi As Cold Wave Continues, Visibility Reduced

Thirty five flights in Delhi were delayed after dense fog covered north India on Wednesday morning as visibility dropped to just 50 metres, disrupting the movement of traffic. The weather office issued a red alert over “very dense fog” in the national capital as cold wave conditions continue. As many as 25 trains headed to Delhi are delayed, Northern railways said.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted “dense to very dense fog conditions” over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Apart from Delhi, several north Indian cities woke up to foggy weather that reduced visibility. While Patiala, Lucknow and Prayagraj recorded very low visiblity of 25 metres, in Amritsar it dropped to 0 metres.

In Delhi, the Palam observatory near the Indira Gandhi International Airport recorded a visibility level of 125 metres while at the Safdarjung observatory it dropped to just 50 metres. However, commuters reported even lower visibility in several parts of the national capital.

Visibility recorded at 0530 hours IST of today, the 27th December (m): Punjab: Amritsar-0, Patiala-25; Uttar Pradesh: Bareilly-25, Lucknow-25, Paryagraj-25 & Varanasi-50, Jhansi-200; Madhya Pradesh: Gwalior-200; Rajasthan: Ganganagar-50; Delhi Safdarjung-50; Delhi (Palam)-125. pic.twitter.com/hY5dCs6Zck

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) December 27, 2023

The air quality in the city also recorded a sharp decline after weeks of comparatively good air. The average air quality dropped to 381, “very poor” on the Air Quality Index. 

The minimum temperature in Delhi dropped to 7 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature is expected to 24 degrees Celsius.

According to the air bulletin of Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Anand Vihar recorded a 441 AQI while Lodhi Road in central Delhi recorded an AQI of 327. At the IGI airport, air quality stood at 368. Neighbouring Ghaziabad and Noida recorded an AQI of 336 and 363 respectively. According to the forecast, the air quality is set to reduce even further over the next week, while 

The Delhi airport said landing and take offs continue as usual but issued an advisory to travelers over possible delays. On Tuesday, over 30 flights at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport were delayed as fog enveloped the Delhi-NCR region. 

According to the weather office, very dense fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, between 51 and 200 metres is dense, between 201 and 500 metres moderate, and between 501 and 1,000 metres shallow.