Thick blanket of fog engulfs Delhi as maximum temperature dips 5°C below normal

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted cloudy skies, dense fog and cold day conditions over the next two days

Delhi woke up in a blanket of dense fog on Friday morning as visibility dropped to around 200 metres and the air quality deteriorated further within the ‘very poor’ range. Around 50 flights were delayed at Delhi airport due to the fog in the morning.

The minimum temperature rose marginally to 6 degrees Celsius (°C) -- from 5.8°C on Thursday -- as the city witnessed a ‘cold day’ with a maximum temperature touching 15.4°C -- five degrees below normal. (Sanjeev Verma/HT PHOTO)

The minimum temperature rose marginally to 6 degrees Celsius (°C) -- from 5.8°C on Thursday -- as the city witnessed a ‘cold day’ with a maximum temperature touching 15.4°C -- five degrees below normal. A ‘cold day’ is declared when the minimum temperature is less than or equal to 10°C and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5°C below the normal.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted cloudy skies, dense fog and cold day conditions over the next two days.

“After the active western disturbance which brought rain to the Capital last week moved away, there is abundant moisture. The cold temperature and northerly winds have together created favourable conditions for formation of dense fog. Due to lack of sunshine, day temperatures are also very low. These features are expected for two more days,” said RK Jenamani, senior scientist, national weather forecasting centre, IMD.

There was dense fog at Palam between 4.30am and 9.30am, with visibility hovering at around 50 metres, causing around 50 flights to be delayed at the Delhi airport. Visibility was in the 500-1,000 metres range for the rest of the day at Palam, IMD officials said.

Delhi’s air quality index was 348 in ‘very poor’ category on Friday as per Central Pollution Control Board.

According to Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi by the Union Ministry of Earth Sciences, air quality over Delhi is likely to be in the upper end of ‘very poor’ category for the next two days. Subsequently, slow wind speeds with poor ventilation conditions are expected till January 18.

Meanwhile, two fresh western disturbances are likely to affect northwest India: the first is likely to cause isolated to scattered rainfall on January 16 and 17; and the second is likely to cause light/moderate, scattered to fairly widespread precipitation over the western Himalayan region, and light, isolated to scattered rainfall over adjoining plains over the subsequent two-three days.

Cold wave conditions in isolated pockets are likely over west Uttar Pradesh and west Madhya Pradesh during the next two days. Cold day to severe cold day conditions are likely in some pockets over Punjab and in isolated pockets over Haryana, Chandigarh, West Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan during next 2 days and Cold Day Conditions in isolated pockets over East Uttar Pradesh during next 2 days and over Madhya Pradesh during next 24 hours.

Dense/Very Dense Fog in some/isolated pockets in night/morning hours is likely over Western Himalayan region, Rajasthan, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura during next 2 days and over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi during next 3 days and over Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim during next 5 days, IMD said in its bulletin on Friday.

A cold wave is declared when minimum temperature (is less than 10 degree C over plains) is 4.5 to 6.4 degree C below normal or actual minimum temperature is less than 4 degree C. A severe cold wave is declared when minimum temperature is over 6.5 degree C below normal or the actual minimum temperature is less than 2 degree C. A cold day is declared when maximum temperature (is less than 10 degree C over plains) and is 4.5 to 6.4 degrees below normal and a severe cold day is declared when maximum temperature is 6.5 degrees below normal.