A thick layer of fog engulfed New Delhi and its neighboring areas on Wednesday morning, severely impacting visibility and causing disruptions to traffic. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for “very dense fog” in the national capital, as cold wave conditions persist. The IMD also forecasted similar foggy conditions in other regions of northwest and central India, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.
In Delhi, the Palam observatory near the Indira Gandhi International Airport reported a visibility level of 125 meters, while the Safdarjung observatory recorded a mere 50 meters. However, commuters reported even lower visibility in various parts of the city. The deteriorating air quality in Delhi added to the challenges, with the average air quality index dropping to 381, categorized as “very poor.”
The minimum temperature in Delhi reached 7 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature is expected to be around 24 degrees Celsius. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Anand Vihar recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 441, Lodhi Road in central Delhi registered an AQI of 327, and the IGI airport had an AQI of 368. Neighboring Ghaziabad and Noida also experienced deteriorating air quality with AQI readings of 336 and 363, respectively. The air quality is predicted to worsen further in the coming week.
Despite the challenging weather conditions, the Delhi airport assured that flight operations were continuing as usual but warned travelers about potential delays. On Tuesday, over 30 flights at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport were delayed due to the enveloping fog in the Delhi-NCR region. Other cities in northern India, such as Patiala, Lucknow, Prayagraj, and Amritsar, also experienced reduced visibility, with Amritsar recording zero visibility.
As defined by the weather office, very dense fog occurs when visibility is between 0 and 50 meters, while visibility between 51 and 200 meters is considered dense. Moderate fog is when visibility ranges from 201 to 500 meters, and shallow fog occurs when visibility is between 501 and 1,000 meters.
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