E-Paper
Dense fog engulfs parts of Delhi, North India; 26 trains running late
The city continued experiencing moderate to dense fog in isolated regions in the early hours of the day, with visibility remaining around within 500 m at 9 am.
A dense layer of fog engulfed parts of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan amid the prevailing cold wave conditions in North India on Wednesday. It caused disruptions in transportation and affected at least 26 trains.
The city continued experiencing moderate to dense fog in isolated regions in the early hours of the day, with visibility remaining around within 500 m at 9 am. The visibility at Safdarjung was recorded at 200.
The minimum temperature of Safdarjung was recorded at 7.3 degree Celsius. The maximum temperature recorded on Tuesday was 17.2 degrees, two degrees below normal.
As many as 26 Delhi-bound trains, including Ranchi-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, were running late due to foggy conditions on Wednesday, leaving passengers frustrated.
Further, Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital remained in the 'very poor' category, being recorded at 328 at 9am on Wednesday. It was recorded at 340 (very poor) as per Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) national bulletin at 4 pm on Tuesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that due to the fog cover, visibility in several areas was reduced, with Uttar Pradesh's Bahraich and Bihar's Purnea recording the lowest at 25 on Wednesday. Ajmer in Rajasthan recorded visibility of 25, Bikaner, Jaisalmer and Jaipur each recorded visibility of 50.
"Moderate to dense fog cover visible over Punjab, Haryana, north Rajasthan, West Madhya Pradesh adjoining East Rajasthan, Central parts of Uttar Pradesh south Assam & Tripura," IMD wrote in a series of posts on X.
Meanwhile, on Tuesday, the Gautam Buddh Nagar district administration announced to shut the schools from January 3 to 6 for students up to Class 8 in light of the ongoing cold wave in North India. However, classes will continue for students from classes 9 to 12 between 10 am and 3 pm.
According to the IMD, the anomaly forecast for the number of cold wave days is expected to be below normal over most parts of Central India during the month of January 2024.
