New Delhi – The national capital and northern plains continue to grapple with severe Delhi fog disruption as thick haze reduced visibility for the seventh consecutive day on Sunday, causing massive disruptions to air and rail travel. Weather agencies have forecast that the hazy conditions will persist for two more days, extending the travel chaos that has affected thousands of passengers across the region.
Massive Flight Operations Affected
The Delhi fog disruption severely impacted aviation operations at the national capital’s airport, with over 100 flights cancelled and more than 500 delayed on Sunday alone. According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, the week-long Delhi fog disruption has resulted in over 4,000 flight disruptions, creating unprecedented chaos for travelers during the busy holiday season.
An airport official, speaking on condition of anonymity, revealed that over 55 of the cancelled flights belonged to IndiGo, followed by approximately 35 Air India flights. Real-time data analysis from the Delhi airport’s website for flights between 5pm and 8pm showed over 20 cancellations, including 10 IndiGo flights, seven Air India or Air India Express flights, three Akasa flights, and one SpiceJet flight.
IndiGo had issued an alert on Saturday warning passengers of possible disruptions due to the Delhi fog disruption. On Sunday morning, the airline extended alerts to fliers in Bengaluru, Amritsar, and Srinagar. However, despite predictions of continued fog, no airlines have issued advance alerts for Monday or Tuesday operations.
Rail Services Experience Significant Delays
The Delhi fog disruption extended beyond aviation to severely impact railway operations across the region. Over 50 trains were delayed under the Northern Railway network, with delay times ranging from 30 minutes to over six hours. The extended delays caused considerable inconvenience to passengers traveling through or departing from the national capital during the ongoing travel season.
Western Disturbance Triggers Weather Phenomenon
Sunday’s spell of Delhi fog disruption was caused by a western disturbance that simultaneously brought fresh snowfall to Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh. The India Meteorological Department explained that this weather system is likely to persist until Tuesday, after which the fog intensity should begin to dissipate.
Western disturbances are weather systems that transport moist air from the Mediterranean Sea across Iran and Afghanistan into the Indian subcontinent. When this moist air encounters the Himalayas, it is forced upward, cools down, and releases precipitation—manifesting as snow in mountainous regions and contributing to fog formation in the plains below.
Visibility Levels Across Delhi
The Delhi fog disruption significantly reduced visibility across various parts of the capital, which woke up to a blanket of haze and pollution. Visibility reached its lowest at Safdarjung, measuring just 200 meters between 1:30 am and 2:30 am on Sunday. At Palam, visibility stood at 300 meters between 10 pm Saturday and 12:30 am Sunday.
The IMD classifies fog based on visibility ranges: ‘shallow’ fog occurs when visibility is between 500 and 1,000 meters, ‘moderate’ fog between 200 and 500 meters, ‘dense’ fog between 50 and 200 meters, and ‘very dense’ fog when visibility drops below 50 meters.
Air Quality Remains Concerning
Alongside the Delhi fog disruption, the capital’s air quality remained a significant concern. Delhi recorded an Air Quality Index of 377 at 4 pm on Sunday, showing improvement from 398 on Saturday but marking the 11th consecutive day that pollution levels remained in the “very poor” band or worse. The combination of fog and poor air quality created particularly challenging conditions for residents and travelers.
Temperature Fluctuations Recorded
Despite the Delhi fog disruption, temperature readings showed some variations from seasonal norms. The minimum temperature on Sunday settled at 9.4°C, significantly higher than 6.1°C recorded the previous day and 1.3 degrees above the season’s normal. The maximum temperature reached 18.1°C, four degrees below normal but higher than Saturday’s 16.9°C.
Snowfall Across Himalayan Regions
The western disturbance causing the Delhi fog disruption brought substantial snowfall to higher altitude regions. The Gulmarg tourist resort in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district reported nearly two inches of snow accumulation. In Sonamarg on the Srinagar-Kargil highway, snowfall began early Sunday morning and continued through the afternoon.
Sadhna Top, the pass connecting the Tangdhar sector along the Line of Control to the main Kashmir Valley, received moderate snowfall with six inches accumulating since Saturday night. Light rainfall began in Srinagar and elsewhere in the valley overnight, continuing intermittently throughout Sunday.
Weather Forecast and Future Outlook
IMD scientist RK Jenamani indicated that the western disturbance’s effect was strongest on Sunday and would begin moving eastward and weakening by December 23. While fog intensity should reduce after the Delhi fog disruption subsides, visibility could still drop to 200 meters or lower in isolated pockets of the capital.
Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at Skymet, predicted reduced fog from December 24 through December 31, though some fog will persist. He warned that January typically experiences multiple western disturbances, keeping chances of dense to very dense fog high across the region, potentially causing further travel disruptions similar to the current Delhi fog disruption.
