Delhi woke up to dense fog and plummeting temperatures on Thursday, with visibility dropping to zero at Palam between 6 am and 9 am. The mercury settled at 7.6°C, while isolated parts of the city remained gripped by “cold day” conditions for the third consecutive day.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) defines a “cold day” when the maximum temperature is at least 4.5°C below normal and the minimum is under 10°C. Palam recorded the lowest maximum temperature at 12.8°C on Wednesday. However, a slight rise in minimum temperature was anticipated for Thursday, hovering around 8°C.
Despite the dense fog, no flight diversions were reported at Delhi airport. However, flights that are not CAT-3 compliant faced potential disruptions. Airlines such as IndiGo advised passengers to check flight statuses and allow extra travel time.
The foggy conditions also impacted train services, with Northern Railways reporting delays in at least 43 trains, running over 30 minutes behind schedule.
Delhi’s air quality data remained unavailable for the second day, leaving residents uncertain about pollution levels amidst the severe cold and foggy conditions. Authorities continue to monitor the weather closely, urging commuters to exercise caution while traveling.
