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Dense fog, 'severe' air take over Delhi amid cold wave, pollution curbs
Delhi weather: Visibility dropped sharply in several areas, prompting advisories for motorists and commuters.
Dense fog enveloped Delhi on Sunday as ‘severe’ air quality and a biting cold wave tightened their grip on the national capital. Visibility dropped sharply in several parts of the city.
Alongside the fog, Delhi continued to struggle with extremely poor air quality. The Air Quality Index stood at 440 at 8 am, placing it in the ‘severe’ category. In response, authorities enforced Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), the toughest set of anti-pollution restrictions, from Saturday.
Also read| Grap-4 returns as Delhi AQI blows past 400 again
Minimum temperature in Delhi today
The minimum temperature in Delhi stood at 5 degrees Celsius, while the maximum was recorded at 22 degrees Celsius. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for the capital on January 18.
Safdarjung was the coldest area at 5.3 degrees Celsius, while Palam recorded 8 degrees. Lodi Road saw a minimum of 6.8 degrees, while both the Ridge and Ayanagar registered 7.2 degrees Celsius.
Visibility levels across key locations
IMD reported zero visibility at Safdarjung, while Palam recorded visibility of 100 metres.
Similar fog conditions were observed in other parts of north India, with zero visibility reported in Bareilly, Lucknow and Kushinagar.
Visibility stood at 100 metres in Amritsar and Gorakhpur, and 200 metres in Prayagraj.
Also read| Delhi records coldest night in 3 years at 2.9°C; dense fog blankets city
Airlines issue advisories
The dense fog led several airlines, including Air India and IndiGo, to issue advisories, urging passengers to expect delays and check flight updates.
At 8 am, the Delhi airport said, “ All flight operations are normal.”
Advisory issued by Indigo
IndiGo issued an advisory cautioning passengers that low visibility and fog over Delhi and Hindon airports could affect flight schedules.
Advisory issued by Air India
Air India also issued an advisory warning of dense fog and reduced visibility across parts of north India, including Delhi. The airline said the conditions could lead to delays and disruptions across its flight network.
Grap-4 returns in Delhi
Under Stage 4, entry of BS-IV truck traffic into Delhi is restricted. All construction and demolition work is prohibited, while schools up to Class 10 must shift to hybrid lessons, with only Classes 10 and 12 continuing in-person instruction.
