Dense fog covers Delhi-NCR, visibility reduced, flights hit; rain likely today

Delhi and nearby areas were engulfed in a thick layer of fog on Wednesday, as cold wave conditions intensified across northern India.

The national capital recorded a temperature of 7 degrees Celsius at 5.30 am on Wednesday. Zero visibility was reported in parts of Delhi-NCR, and several flights and trains have been affected due to the fog. Early morning travellers faced difficulties in navigating through the dense fog.

The weather body has predicted a cloudy sky for the Delhi-NCR region on Wednesday with chances of light rain in the evening. The visibility at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi was recorded at 100 metres at 6 am on Wednesday.

The airport stated that flights not compliant with CAT III standards might be affected by the dense fog. Notably, CAT III is an approach system that allows flights to land safely during poor visibility conditions.

“Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted,” it said. At least 26 trains were delayed due to the dense fog conditions in Delhi and parts of northern India.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality worsened to ‘very poor’ category, with an AQI of 332 as of 8 am on Wednesday.

Several regions in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand were also engulfed in dense fog on Wednesday morning. The weather body had earlier issued a yellow alert, forecasting dense to moderate fog in the capital until Wednesday.

A fresh western disturbance will bring isolated rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning over the Delhi-NCR region, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday and Thursday, it had said.