Over 50 flights delayed as dense fog envelops Delhi

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials, the visibility at the Safdarjung observatory, which provides representative data for the city, was 100 metres at 8.30am while it was 50 metres at the Palam observatory.

A dense blanket of fog brought down visibility in the national capital and delayed over 50 flights early on Saturday morning, but gave way to clearer skies as the day progressed. Cold day conditions were also reported from parts of the Capital even as the maximum temperature rose to 19.5 degrees Celsius (°C) on Saturday – up from the previous day’s 18.1°C but still four degrees below the normal mark.

According to IMD officials, the visibility at the Safdarjung observatory, which provides representative data for the city, was 100 metres at 8.30am while it was 50 metres at the Palam observatory. (ANI)

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials, the visibility at the Safdarjung observatory, which provides representative data for the city, was 100 metres at 8.30am while it was 50 metres at the Palam observatory.

IMD officials attributed the dense fog in the morning to Thursday’s rain, saying it brought sufficient moisture to Delhi.

IMD senior scientist RK Jenamani said that dense fog along with isolated cold day conditions were reported on Saturday. “Cold day conditions were mainly due to the fog. The likelihood of cold day conditions on Sunday are less since afternoons are clear,” said Jenamani.

IMD classifies fog to be “dense” when visibility drops below 200 metres, while it is classified as “very dense” when it drops below 50 metres. A visibility between 200 and 500 metres is “moderate” while between 500 and 1000 metres is classified as “shallow” fog.

CAT-III procedures for low visibility were initiated at the Delhi airport on account of the fog.

Officials at IGI airport said that over 50 flights were delayed between 5.30am and 10.30am on Saturday, adding thtat CAT-III procedures (to aid flight landing during low visibility) were initiated at the airport.

According to IMD, Delhi might witness dense fog on Sunday as well.

The Safdarjung station, considered representative of Delhi’s weather, recorded a minimum temperature of 6.9°C on Saturday – two degrees below normal and 3.5 degrees down from the previous day. Palam and Narela meanwhile recorded ‘cold day’ conditions with the maximum temperature dipping six-seven degrees below normal.

IMD classifies it as a “cold day” when the maximum temperature is 4.5 degrees or more below the normal mark, with the minimum also being below 10 degrees.

IMD has predicted both the maximum and minimum temperature will continue its rise in the next few days. On Sunday, the minimum temperature is expected to hover around 8°C and the maximum temperature is likely to settle at 21°C.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality deteriorated on Saturday to enter the poor category, with an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 224, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily bulletin at 4pm on Saturday. The AQI stood 152 (moderate) on Friday.

The CPCB classifies an AQI of zero to 50 as “good”, 51-100 as “satisfactory”, 101-200 as “moderate”, 201-300 as “poor”, 301-400 as “very poor” and above 400 as “severe”.

The Union ministry of earth science’s air quality monitoring centre, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (Safar), said that the air quality is likely to further improve to ‘moderate’ due to high wind speed and associated strong ventilation during the weekend. As per the forecast, the air quality is likely to degrade slightly on Monday due to calm winds.