North India still shivers under fog, cold; Flights and trains delayed again 

Parts of North India remained shrouded in dense, blinding fog on Thursday morning as severe cold wave conditions prevailed over the region.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported very dense fog in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, west Uttar Pradesh, and northwest Madhya Pradesh as of 11:30 PM last night.

Meanwhile, moderate fog hit isolated areas of east Uttar Pradesh and Tripura.

Several flights, trains running late due to fog

The freezing fog has heavily disrupted travel, with 18 trains to Delhi running late today.

18 trains to Delhi from various parts of the country are running late due to dense fog conditions as on 18th January. pic.twitter.com/5AYjHyAz7z

— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2024

Flights at the Delhi airport also faced delays and diversions due to reduced visibility, per reports.

#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/li8Slv4nEu

— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2024

The IMD advised people to avoid unnecessary travel and take precautions when driving in foggy conditions. Dense to very dense fog is likely over north India in the next five days, the department forecasted.

#WATCH | Delhi: Several flight operations delayed at IGI airport due to low visibility amid the fog. pic.twitter.com/MIpUhbU1lC

— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2024

IMD report of neighboring states

In Punjab and Haryana, minimum temperatures stayed below normal levels on Wednesday, causing a continuation of cold wave conditions.

Ballowal Saunkhri in Punjab recorded a bone-chilling zero degrees Celsius. Other parts of Punjab like Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Patiala shivered at 2 to 4.5 degrees.

Neighboring Haryana saw lows of 3.4 degrees in Karnal and 5.8 degrees in Hisar. Several other cities also experienced chilly below-normal temperatures.

How cold day is classified?

According to IMD, a cold wave occurs in the plains when the minimum dips to 4 degrees or below. A severe cold wave is declared when the temperature drops to 2 degrees or more.

A cold day is classified as a maximum temperature of at least 4.5 degrees below normal and a minimum temperature of 10 degrees below normal.

Experts say the extreme winter conditions are partly driven by dense smog and air pollution trapping cold air close to the ground. But the prevailing La Nina conditions over the equatorial Pacific also play a role in the harsh cold this year.

North India to experience relief?

The weather agency also forecasts some relief from the icy chill by next week as western disturbances hit the northern plains.

However, the dense winter fog may persist for longer, causing hardship to residents.