Dense fog drowns Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, etc; colder days ahead, says IMD

Delhiites woke up to dense fog on Friday morning. Layers of dense to very dense fog over Punjab, Haryana, northwest Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, says IMD. Respite from fog is unlikely for Delhi and other parts of north India in the coming few days.

New Delhi:Delhiites woke up to dense fog on Friday morning with temperatures dropping below 8 degrees Celsius in most parts. The IMD has also issued a 'cold wave' alert in many north Indian states. Low temperatures, high moisture and still winds persisted leading to layers of dense to very dense fog over Punjab, Haryana, northwest Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Delhi, says IMD.

Respite from fog is unlikely for Delhi and other parts of north India in the coming few days. The foggy conditions are likely to continue for the next few days as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted "dense to very dense" fog. An IMD report said, "due to moisture and light winds at lower tropospheric levels over Indo-Gangetic plains, dense to very dense fog in many/most pockets is very likely over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh during next 48 hours."

ANI quoted Dr. Kuldeep Srivastava, Head of Regional Weather Forecasting Centre as saying, "Delhi-NCR is likely to witness dense fog for the next two to three days while Punjab, Haryana, and north Rajasthan may expect a decrease in temperature by 1-2 degrees along with cold wave conditions."

Srivastava further said that in the next two days there are chances of having dense fog in Delhi NCR and the visibility will be around 100 meters. The minimum temperatures will remain between 6-7 degrees for the next 2-3 days, he added. The visibility dropped to 10 meters in Punjab's Bathinda on Friday morning, badly affecting the vehicular traffic.

According to IMD, cold day to severe cold day conditions are also likely in isolated pockets over Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh during the next two days. Vehicles were seen plying at minimum speeds on the roads. The thick layer of fog restricted the penetration of sun rays in the morning and the cold wind added to the chill.