New Delhi: A dense layer of fog gripped the national capital, affecting the traffic movement as the city woke up to a bitterly cold Sunday. The minimum temperature in the RK Puram Area was recorded at 7 degrees Celsius in the early hours. Over 100 flights and 22 trains getting delayed due to bad weather, according to an official.
The official also said that six flights were diverted to Jaipur and one to Mumbai between 4.30 am and 7.30 am. A blinding layer of fog shrouded Delhi and other parts of North India on Sunday, with visibility levels plunging to zero metres at several places. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has advised people to avoid unnecessary travel and to take precautions while driving.
The Palam Observatory near the Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi reported dense fog with visibility levels plunging to zero metres by 5 am.
Delhi Police have advised all to drive carefully.
People on the streets and the homeless took refuge at government-run night shelters owing to the conditions. These shelters offer blankets, beds, hot water, and food to those seeking shelter.
On Friday, the city was witness to the season's first cold wave day, which, according to the India Meteorological Department, is recorded when the minimum temperature goes below 4 degrees Celsius.
The Indian Meteorological Department issued an alert amid the bone-chilling cold. "Very dense fog layer extends over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, North Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh. Passengers on highways need to drive extremely carefully and only with fog lights," the IMD wrote on X.
"Journeys need to be halted until fog reduction by morning especially on expressways. Very Dense fog reporting over Amritsar, Chandigarh, Patiala, Ambala, Ganganagar, Palam, Safdarjung, and Lucknow with visibility 0 meter since 0230 hrs IST of today," it added.
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. As the weather forecasting agency predicted dense to very dense fog on Sunday, the Delhi Police urged motorists to drive carefully amid low visibility.", "Delhi Police posted from its official X handle.
The Meteorological Department, Delhi, predicted dense to very dense fog on January 14, 2024, and dense fog on January 15 & 16, 2024. (With ANI inputs)
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