The dense fog continued to envelop North India over the weekend, disrupting air and rail travel across the region. At Delhis Indira Gandhi International Airport, zero visibility was recorded starting at 3 am Sunday as flights faced significant delays and cancellations.Flights, trains running late due to fogThe cold wave gripping the north has brought extremely hazardous conditions in recent days. The fog has been so thick in places that visibility drops to only a few feet, grinding transportation networks to a halt.#WATCH | Delhi | Passengers await the movement of their scheduled flights as several flights get delayed and a few get cancelled due to fog in several parts of the country.(Visuals from Indira Gandhi International Airport.) pic.twitter.com/Yqdcp2FSP8— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2024Delhi and neighboring areas have borne the brunt of the disruptions. Eleven trains heading to the capital from various parts of the country were running severely behind schedule Sunday due to the fog.11 trains to Delhi from various parts of the country are running late due to dense fog conditions as on 21 January. pic.twitter.com/ik6mKAe6t4— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2024IMD report:The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said very dense fog was observed in isolated pockets of Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Punjab, Rajasthan, Bihar, and other states also saw dense fog in some areas.Visibility at Delhi-Palam reduced to 400 meter at 0200 IST to 100 meter at 0230 IST of today and it further reduced to 00 meter since 0300 IST of today. pic.twitter.com/V22T9C3GqZ— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) January 21, 2024Early morning temperatures in Delhi dipped to 6 degrees Celsius Sunday, 4 degrees below normal for this time of year. The cold spell began around December 29 when temperatures started falling 5-8 degrees below average. A brief respite brought on by a passing weather system ended last week.Dense fog to blanket North India The IMD predicts dense fog will continue paralyzing North India over the next two days before slowly decreasing in severity. It also forecasted cold days and severe cold day conditions persisting over the region in the coming days.#WATCH | A thin layer of fog grips the national capital amidst the cold wave.(Visuals shot at 6.30 am) pic.twitter.com/M1nhSmaesG— ANI (@ANI) January 21, 2024Cold wave conditions are likely to expand starting January 21-22 to cover more of north India, from Bihar to Madhya Pradesh, the IMD bulletin said. Minimum temperatures are currently 6 to 10 degrees Celsius across most of the affected zone, 2 to 4 degrees below normal.Temperature dip seen in Central India alsoMeteorologists expect temperatures to drop another 2-3 degrees Celsius over parts of Central India in the next 48 hours before stabilizing. But no significant change in minimum temperatures is expected over the remainder of north India during the next five days.With fog unlikely to lift soon, travelers should brace for ongoing delays and disruption as flights, trains, and vehicles struggle to safely navigate in near-zero visibility conditions. The region may not see relief from the cold wave until the dense fog finally starts dissipating later this week.
