Delhi shivers at 1.9 degrees, low visibility delays flights as fog shrouds north India
NEWDELHI,JAN 8 : A freezing fog settled over vast swathes of north India on Sunday, causing low visibility in several places. Due to poor visibility, flights were delayed in Delhi. The lowest temperature in the national capital was recorded at 1.9 degrees Celsius, which was the season’s lowest.
“Around 20 flights have been delayed at Delhi airport due to weather conditions, and no flight diversion was reported till 6 am,” said an official at Delhi airport.
Safdarjung (1.9), Palam (5.2), Lodhi Road (2.8), Ridge (2.2), Aya Nagar (2.6). The air quality index remained in “Very poor” category with the Air Quality Index (AQI) at 359.
Amid the frigid weather, visibility deteriorated in the national capital and many areas, like Akshardham and central Delhi, were seen draped in thick fog in the early morning.
Weather stations at Palam and Safdarjung recorded a low of 6.0 and 6.6 degrees Celsius at 5.30 am, respectively. The Met office has issued an “orange” alert for certain parts of North India, including Delhi, for today as the cold is expected to persist.
As of 5.30 am, the visibility was recorded at 50m in Delhi’s Safdarjung and Palam, whereas it dropped to 0 in Uttar Pradesh’s Agra and Punjab’s Bhatinda.
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Other places in Punjab like Amritsar, Patiala, Ambala and Chandigarh record visibility at 25m. It was the same in Rajasthan’s Ganganagar.
At Gaya and Bhagalpur in Bihar, the visibility was recorded at 200m. Other places like Lucknow and Gwalior measured visibility at 50 and 200, respectively.
As many as 34 domestic departure flights from Delhi airport were reported to be delayed on Saturday due to bad weather and other related issues. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) on Sunday issued a passenger advisory as a thick layer of smog engulfed the national capital, resulting in low visibility.
Due to the increasing cold wave in the national capital, shelter homes have been opened for homeless people. The homeless people in Delhi thronged to shelters in their areas to get a hint of respite from the ongoing coldwave that is sending shivers through the national capital region.
A severe cold wave is when the minimum temperature dips to 2 degrees Celsius or the departure from the normal limits is by more than 6.4 notches. A cold day is when the minimum temperature is less than or equal to 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 notches below normal.
A severe cold day is when the maximum temperature is at least 6.5 notches below normal.
-The India Today
