Delhi weather: Delhiites on Sunday woke up to a thick blanket of fog and commuters faced difficulties as visibility was badly affected. The visibility on roads was reduced to zero in most parts of the Delhi-NCR on Sunday morning.
Due to the fog in Delhi, driving on the roads has become extremely challenging. The visibility is so low that even at a short distance, nothing is visible. People are driving at speeds of 10-20 km/h with parking lights and headlights on. The minimum temperature in the national capital dropped to 3.5 degrees Celsius, which is this year's lowest.
22 trains to Delhi running late
As dense fog conditions persist in the city, approximately 22 trains bound for Delhi from different parts of the country are running late.
Furthermore, several flight operations at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport have been impacted due to reduced visibility, dropping to zero meters.
Seven flights were diverted at the Delhi airport due to bad weather, according to an official. The official said that six flights were diverted to Jaipur and one to Mumbai between 4.30 am and 7.30 am.
The Palam Observatory near the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi reported dense fog with visibility levels plunging to zero metres by 5 am.
Meanwhile, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an alert amid the bone-chilling cold. The weather department anticipates a cold wave on January 14, with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to settle around 19 and 4 degrees Celsius, respectively.
The fog is likely to prevail during the morning hours in isolated pockets of northwest India during the next three to four days, the Met agency said.
Delhi Police appeal to people to drive carefully
As the weather forecasting agency predicted dense to very dense fog on Sunday, the Delhi Police urged motorists to drive carefully amid low visibility. “The Meteorological Department, Delhi, has forecast dense to very dense fog on January 14, 2024, and dense fog on January 15 & 16, 2024. We appeal to all to drive carefully in the fog," said Delhi Police official handle in a post on social media platform X.
Delhi records 3.6 degrees Celsius
The national capital on Saturday recorded its lowest minimum temperature of the season with the mercury dipping to 3.6 degrees Celsius. The IMD has forecasted that dense fog and the ongoing cold wave conditions are expected to persist in parts of northwest India for the next 3-4 days, until January 16.
The maximum temperature on Saturday settled at 18.1 degrees Celsius, two notches below the season's average, and the minimum was recorded at 3.6 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season's average, the IMD said.
