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Delhi fog today: Visibility near zero in NCR; airport issues advisory
The DND flyover had near zero visibility as thick blankets of fog engulfed the capital and NCR regions on Saturday morning.
Thick blankets of fogs engulfed Delhi and the national capital region on Saturday morning, with nearly zero visibility on the roads. Flight and train operations in the capital are also expected to get affected amid this weather.
The capital recorded a temperature of 11.2 degree Celsius at 7 am, with the air quality index, as per Sameer app, at 353.
Visuals from the Barapullah flyover, India Gate and the Delhi-Jaipur highway showed the low visibility on roads amid the foggy weather conditions.
Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport also issued an advisory for its passengers. In a post on X, it said, "While landings and take offs continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any convenience caused is deeply regretted."
Warmer January in Delhi
According to the India Meteorological Department, the minimum temperature for Saturday is expected to settle at 10 degree Celsius, while the maximum temperature is likely to be at around 26 degree Celsius. It also predicted dense fog in the capital.
Notably, Delhi experienced a rather warm January with Friday's maximum temperature reaching 27 degree Celsius, making it the warmest day of the city in the month since 2019.
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January's average high temperature was 21.1 degrees Celsius, a notch above the long-time average of 20.1 degrees Celsius. As per IMD data, the nighttime temperatures were also higher than usual.
Mahesh Palawat, a weather expert cited by news agency PTI, attributed the warmer-than-usual January to the absence of strong western disturbances.
"If we had one or two strong systems, we would have seen colder conditions due to icy winds and cloudiness. Instead, temperatures rose quickly," he added.
The AQI forecast for the capital suggests that the air quality will continue to remain in the "very poor" category till February 3, after which slight improvements are expected.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
"From February 1 to 3, Delhi's air quality is likely to remain 'very poor.' It may be 'poor' in the subsequent days," stated the Centre's Early Warning System for Delhi.
(with PTI inputs)
