Dense fog engulfs Delhi; 5 flights diverted, 22 trains running late

The weather department also predicted that a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect western Himalayan region from January 24.

Delhi woke up to dense fog on Wednesday morning, which the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said is due to reduced wind speed. The temperature on Wednesday morning was 7 degrees Celsius.

Fog engulfed the national capital a day after cloud cover led to slight rise in temperature. (Biplov Bhuyan/HT Photo)

The visibility was below 200 metres. Delhi airport officials said that five flights have been diverted due to bad weather, as the pilots were not trained to land under low visibility (CAT III ) conditions.

Twenty-two trains in the northern region are also running late, according to news agency ANI.

The situation is likely to continue till 10 am to 11 am and improve thereafter, the IMD said in a tweet.

The weather department also predicted that a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect western Himalayan region from January 24.

The mercury in the national capital rose on Tuesday due to a cloud cover. The city recorded a minimum of 9.2 degrees Celsius, which was two notches more than normal, the IMD said.

However, temperatures are expected to dip in the next two to three days with the commencement of icy winds from the hills on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, calm winds and cloud cover led to an increase in pollution levels on Tuesday. The overall air quality index stood at 364 at 4 pm, up from 269 recorded on Monday.