Srinagar (Jammu and Kashmir): Air traffic to and from Srinagar Airport was suspended due to poor visibility and fresh snowfall in the Valley. All incoming and outgoing flights were affected as poor visibility hampered the operations. Kuldeep Singh, Director, of Srinagar airport said, "The runway has been cleared of snow, but flight operations have been suspended due to poor visibility." He said, "The visibility has been reduced to 500 metres affecting the air traffic. Flight operations would resume if the visibility improves up to 900 metres."
Passengers, who had arrived at the airport despite snowfall, were disappointed after they were informed that the flights have been cancelled. Singh said, "The passengers were informed about the delay or cancellation of their flights through an SMS from their respective airlines." The northern states like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi saw some relief from the biting cold as the minimum temperature hovered around 8 degrees Celsius. The weather department has predicted an increase in the dense fog situation on December 31. The IMD has also issued an alert for a cold wave from January 1 in Delhi.
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Snowfall was seen in Lahaul-Spiti of Himachal Pradesh and all areas of Kashmir. According to the Meteorological Department, the effect of snowfall on the mountains will be seen in the plains as well. In Lucknow, the minimum temperature was recorded at 10 degrees, and the maximum temperature is expected to be around 22 degrees on Friday. According to IMD, Dense fog conditions are likely to continue over the plains of northwest India during the next four to five days. A fresh cold wave spell is also likely to commence over northwest India from January 1, 2023, onwards.
