New Delhi: A thick blanket of fog enveloped Delhi on Sunday, resulting in significant disruptions as over 100 flights and 22 trains faced delays due to poor visibility.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported a minimum temperature of 3.5 degrees Celsius in the national capital, marking a deviation of four notches below the seasonal average.
As the day began, dense fog covered Delhi, with Safdarjung recording zero visibility at 8 a.m. and Palam reporting zero visibility at 5 a.m.
The IMD categorizes fog into four intensities: shallow, moderate, dense, and very dense, with visibility ranging from 999 m to 500 m, 499 m to 200 m, 199 m to 50 m, and less than 50 m, respectively.
Indian Railways reported delays in 22 trains due to fog and the cold wave. Road traffic experienced sluggish movement as visibility reduced to just a few feet.
Several areas in Delhi faced ‘severe’ air quality, leading to a red alert being issued by the weather office due to the prevailing cold and foggy conditions.
The IMD forecast predicts dense fog persisting in Delhi until Tuesday. The city had its first cold wave day on January 12, with temperatures dropping to 3.9 degrees Celsius. Saturday marked the coldest night so far, recording a season-low temperature of 3 degrees in Aya Nagar, the last village on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road in Delhi.