Delhi Shivers At 1.9 Degrees Celsius, 20 Flights, 42 Trains In Northern Railway Region Delayed

The flights and train services continue to remain affected on Sunday as dense fog grips north India.

Flights and train services affected due to heavy fog in national capital

Source : ANI | Twitter

New Delhi: The national capital on Sunday recorded a minimum temperature of 1.9 degrees Celsius as cold wave conditions continue to prevail in the region. 

BREAKING | दिल्ली में न्यूनतम तापमान 1.9 डिग्री सेल्सियसhttps://t.co/p8nVQWYM7F@vivekstake | @anchorjiya | @AnchorSonal95
#Fog #Delhi #Winter #WeatherUpdate pic.twitter.com/8rEvdQ1Jxr

— ABP News (@ABPNews) January 8, 2023

A dense layer of fog also engulfed Delhi lowering the visibility in several areas as icy cold wave conditions persist in the region on Sunday. 

Delhi | Thick layer of fog covers the national capital this morning lowering visibility. Visuals from near Akshardham. pic.twitter.com/GUkdY7jTCx

— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2023

Low visibility is also affecting flight operations at the Delhi airport with several of them already delayed due to severe fog. Around 20 flights have been delayed on Sunday, reported ANI citing Delhi airport officials.

Around 20 flights have been delayed at Delhi airport due to weather conditions. There was no flight diversion reported till 6am, said an official at Delhi airport.

(Representational image) pic.twitter.com/hHWxtIPvMn

— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2023

Delhi | Fights were delayed due to severe fog & cold in the national capital. Visuals from Delhi Airport.

Visibility is very low at the airport amid the severe cold that we all have been experiencing, say passengers at Delhi airport pic.twitter.com/YnHO7TcXkF

— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2023

The rail network is also directly hit by the persisting dense fog and cold wave conditions. Northern Railways has said that 42 trains are running late due to fog in the region, ANI reported.

42 trains running late in the Northern Railway region due to fog: Northern Railways pic.twitter.com/MhMxt8gJmo

— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2023

Passengers wait at Anand Vihar Railway Station in Delhi as several trains are delayed.

Delhi | Several trains in north India delayed due to fog. Visuals from Anand Vihar Terminal railway station

"I came from Bihar's Patna and my train reached here late by 2-3 hours due to fog," says Dhananjay Kumar, a passenger pic.twitter.com/YAu2neEcVC

— ANI (@ANI) January 8, 2023

The weather office has issued an "orange" alert for Delhi and certain other parts of north India, for Sunday. It warned that dense fog and cold wave conditions will persist throughout the day 

"Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are very likely to continue over some areas in Rajasthan and Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi on December 8 (Sunday)," it said. 

Entire north India is shivering due to intense cold wave conditions that have gripped the states, including Delhi. The national capital on Saturday saw mercury falling to as low as 1.5 degrees Celsius, making it colder than several places in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and some hill stations in Jammu and Kashmir. 

The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, logged a minimum temperature of 2.2 degrees Celsius. A severe cold wave brought the minimum temperature down to a bone-chilling 1.5 degrees Celsius at the Ridge weather station in central Delhi. 

According to PTI, only a few places in Rajasthan, including Vanasthali (1.7 degrees Celsius), Sikar (1 degree Celsius), Pilani (0.6 degree Celsius) and Churu (0 degree Celsius), recorded a lower minimum temperature. 

The weather stations at Lodhi Road and Ayanagar in Delhi saw the mercury dipping to 2 degrees Celsius and 3.4 degrees Celsius respectively. 

The fog continued to affect road, rail and air traffic movement in several parts with over 40 flights getting delayed at Delhi airport on Saturday. 

Palam observatory reported very dense fog with low visibility to 25 metres near the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport. 

A Northern Railway spokesperson said 36 trains were delayed by one hour to seven hours due to the foggy conditions, reported PTI. 

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". 

With Delhi weather stations recording minimum temperatures below 2 degrees Celsius, the city was colder than Chamba (5.8 degrees), Dalhousie (8.3 degrees), Dharamshala (9.2 degrees), Shimla (7.8 degrees), Hamirpur (3.9 degrees), Manali (4 degrees), Kangra (5.6 degrees), Solan (3 degrees), Dehradun (6 degrees), Mussoorie (8.1 degrees) and Nainital (5.8 degrees), PTI cited India Meteorological Department (IMD). 

Several places in the capital recorded the maximum temperature at least seven notches below normal, making it a severe cold day. 

The cold snap is straining power grids and posing challenges to the homeless and animals. Delhi's peak winter power demand rose to a record 5,526 MW on Friday, PTI report mentioned. 

The IMD warned of an impact on agriculture, livestock, water supply, transport and the power sector at some places. It also said frostbite can occur due to prolonged exposure to cold and that one should not ignore shivering, the first sign that the body is losing heat, and should stay indoors. 

"Eat vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables and drink sufficient warm fluids to maintain adequate immunity. Avoid or limit outdoor activities," IMD said in an advisory. 

However, IMD said that under the influence of back-to-back western disturbances, some relief is expected in the coming days. 

 

(With PTI Inputs)