Red alert extended for 2 days in Gurugram

The weather department on Thursday extended the red alert for Haryana, including Gurugram, till Saturday morning after dense fog engulfed most parts of the state

The weather department on Thursday extended the red alert for Haryana, including Gurugram, till Saturday morning after dense fog engulfed most parts of the state.

People around a bonfire at Daulatabad village near Laxman Vihar in Gurugram on Thursday morning. (Parveen Kumar/HT Photo)

The minimum temperature in the city touched 4.5 °C on Thursday, the lowest so far for the season. Manmohan Singh, director, India Meteorological Department (IMD) Chandigarh, said dense fog was likely to continue for the next two days and temperature was expected to drop further.

“The minimum temperature in Gurugram was 4.5 °C. A weather station located in the Aravallis on the Gurugram-Faridabad Road recorded temperature at 0.8 °C, but since the station is located in a remote spot in the hills, such a low temperature is possible there,” he said.

The weather is expected to remain dry but cold winds from the hilly areas and dense fog will ensure cold weather conditions and low visibility, he added.

The IMD issues a yellow alert to warn the public of a weather phenomenon in place, while it is upgraded to an orange alert, if preventive action is required. A red alert is generally issued if an extreme weather event is expected.

In Gurugram, visibility remained poor on most roads till 11 am on Thursday after which the situation improved slightly. The sun was visible around 3.30pm but fog returned around 5pm.

According to IMD data, the temperature has been falling gradually in the city for the last three to four days. On Thursday, the maximum temperature in the city was 12.1 °C.

The air quality index in Gurugram was recorded at 290 (poor) by the central pollution control board.