Nearly 500 Trains, Dozens Of Flights Affected As Dense Fog Grips North India

Due to the dense fog, the movement of 480 trains was affected out of which 88 trains were cancelled.

New Delhi: A severe cold wave and the dense fog on Sunday affected the movement of 480 trains. A railway official said that around 335 trains have been delayed, 88 cancelled, 31 diverted and 33 short-terminated because of the weather conditions, reported news agency PTI.

"Around 335 trains have been delayed, 88 cancelled, 31 diverted and 33 short terminated due to foggy weather," PTI quoted a railway official as saying.

Around 20 flights have been delayed at Delhi's IGI airport, an official told the news agency ANI.

A thick layer of dense fog on Sunday enveloped northwest India and the adjoining central and eastern parts of the country, affecting road, rail and air traffic movement. According to the report, the fog lowered visibility to 50 metres at the Palam observatory near Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport at 5:30 am.

The Delhi International Airport tweeted that flights, which are not CAT III compliant, may get affected. Passengers have been advised to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information.

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.

As the cold wave situation continued in parts of northern India, Safdarjung in Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 1.9 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the lowest in January in two years.

With frosty winds from the snow-clad mountains pounding northwest India, including Delhi, the weather stations at Lodhi Road, Ayanagar, Ridge and Jafarpur logged a minimum temperature of 2.8 degrees Celsius, 2.6  degrees Celsius, 2.2  degrees Celsius and 2.8  degrees Celsius, respectively.

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.

The IMD warned of an impact on agriculture, livestock, water supply, transport and the power sector in some places.

The weather office 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," it said in an advisory.

The Met Office had issued an "orange" alert for certain parts of north India, including Delhi, for Sunday, warning that dense fog, cold day and cold wave conditions will persist.

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

(With Agency Inputs)