Delhi Weather: Passengers Grapple With Delays As Fog Hits Train, Flight Ops

As many as 11 Delhi-bound trains are running late due to low visibility as a result of fog in many parts of the country.

Representational Image.

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Several flights were delayed at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Sunday due to low visibility due to fog in the city, according to ANI. Flight operations have been disrupted for the seventh consecutive day this week. Meanwhile, inclement weather slowed rail traffic to and from the nation's capital. As many as 11 Delhi-bound trains are running late due to low visibility as a result of fog in many parts of the country.

11 trains to Delhi from various parts of the country are running late due to dense fog conditions as on 21 January. pic.twitter.com/ik6mKAe6t4

— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2024

Passengers await the movement of their scheduled flights, while numerous flights are delayed or canceled owing to fog in various regions of the nation.      

#WATCH | Delhi | Passengers await the movement of their scheduled flights as several flights get delayed and a few get cancelled due to fog in several parts of the country.

(Visuals from Indira Gandhi International Airport.) pic.twitter.com/Yqdcp2FSP8

— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2024

Most of North India has been experiencing severe cold wave conditions, with dense fog reducing visibility and hampering rail and aviation travel in the national capital.

A thin layer of fog blanketed the national capital amid the cold wave. Safdarjung in Delhi reported a temperature of 6.0 degrees Celsius at 5.30 a.m. Morning temperatures dropped by up to 4 degrees Celsius from the previous day. "Visibility at Delhi-Palam reduced to 400 meter at 0200 IST to 100 meter at 0230 IST of today and it further reduced to 00 meter since 0300 IST of today," IMD posted on X. 

Visibility at Delhi-Palam reduced to 400 meter at 0200 IST to 100 meter at 0230 IST of today and it further reduced to 00 meter since 0300 IST of today. pic.twitter.com/V22T9C3GqZ

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) January 21, 2024

The India Meteorological Department predicts that dense to extremely dense fog conditions will persist across North India for the next two days before decreasing in intensity.

Cold day to severe cold day conditions are expected to remain throughout North India for the next two days before decreasing in severity, according to the IMD's most recent advisory.

Similarly, cold wave conditions are expected to continue across Bihar and north Madhya Pradesh today, spreading to other areas of north India on January 21-22, it added.

Since December 29, 2023, maximum temperatures have plummeted by 5-8 degrees Celsius, leading to an extensive cold spell. There was a little relief on January 7 and 8, due to a passing western disturbance. However, the alleviation was short-lived, as chilly weather resumed on January 9.

According to the meteorological department, minimum temperatures in most regions of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Jharkhand, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, and Madhya Pradesh are between 6 and 10 degrees Celsius. These are 2–4°C below normal in isolated regions of north Madhya Pradesh, southeast Uttar Pradesh, East Rajasthan, Bihar, and Gangetic West Bengal.