New Delhi: Train and flight operations were impacted by the dense fog that enveloped various regions of North India, resulting in reduced visibility and temperatures. 202 aircraft were postponed at Delhi’s India Gandhi International Airport due to a lack of visibility.
Delhi experienced a maximum temperature of 16 degrees Celsius, which is three degrees below the average, and a minimum of 7.6 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD’s data from the previous 24 hours. It is anticipated that Delhi will experience fog until January 8, with light rain forecast on January 6. In Delhi, the temperature was 9.6 degrees Celsius on Friday morning, marking the fifth consecutive chilly day in the National Capital.
The Palam airport in Delhi reported a visibility of 0 meters at 8 a.m., while the Safdarjung Airport in New Delhi reported a visibility of 50 meters. Commercial flight operations are not conducted at either airport.
The Lodhi Road station is classified as ‘Very Poor’ by the CPCB, with an Air Quality Index of 309.
FlightRadar24 reported that the Delhi airport experienced an average delay of six minutes for arrival flights and 47 minutes for departure flights, which impacted the flights of numerous airlines, such as SpiceJet, Indigo, and Air India.
IndiGo issued a travel advisory with a particular emphasis on the Delhi, Amritsar, Lucknow, Bengaluru, and Guwahati routes, while SpiceJet reported that all flights arriving in and departing from Amritsar and Guwahati are affected by inclement weather.
Airlines advised travelers to verify flight schedules prior to embarking on their journeys, and they also cautioned that flights may be canceled if visibility remains inadequate.
Additionally, trains departing and arriving in Delhi are experiencing delays, and certain routes are being operated with modified schedules.
At least 24 trains scheduled to depart from Delhi were delayed as a result of weather-related conditions. The Ayodhya Express, Gorakhdham Express, Bihar Kranti Express, and Shram Shakti Express were all delayed by over three hours. The Gorakhdham Express was operating over two hours behind schedule.
On Friday, it is anticipated that dense fog will persist over Delhi, Lucknow, Bengaluru, Amritsar, and Guwahati. Delhi, Rajasthan’s Kota, Bundi, Sikar, Jhunjhunu, Churu, Sri Ganganagar, and Tonk, Punjab’s Amritsar, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, and Kapurthala, and Haryana’s Kurukshetra, Amabal, Panchkula, and Yamunanagar have all been issued a Nowcast warning by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning for dense to very dense fog. In the interim, regions of Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh are anticipated to experience moderate precipitation and snowfall.
A “cold day” is defined as a day in which the minimum temperature is less than 10 degrees Celsius and the greatest or lowest temperature is at least 4.5 degrees below the normal range for a specific period.
The Gautam Buddh Nagar administration has suspended classes until 8 p.m. in all institutions in the district until further notice due to the cold wave conditions. The Met has forecasted a minimum of 8 degrees Celsius for Friday.
