Dense fog grips north India, zero visibility in Delhi; IMD urges extreme caution
Dense fog has gripped several northern and eastern states of India, severely impacting visibility and prompting.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue weather warnings. Very dense fog was observed in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Bihar, and East Uttar Pradesh, according to the meteorological department.
Visibility recorded at the same time paints a challenging picture for commuters, with Ganganagar, Patiala, Ambala, Chandigarh, Palam, Safdarjung, Bareilly, Lucknow, Bahraich, Varanasi, Prayagraj and Tezpur recording zero-metre visibility for the first time this winter season.
In areas such as Purnea, Dibrugarh, Kailashahar, and Agartala, visibility dropped to 25 meters.
At least 22 trains to Delhi from various parts of the country were running late due to dense fog conditions, according to Northern Railways.
The IMD has urged commuters on highways to exercise extreme caution and use fog lights during their journeys. Moreover, considering the hazardous conditions, it is advised to halt journeys until visibility improves, especially on expressways.
The meteorological department has issued a comprehensive weather warning for the day, forecasting dense to very dense fog at many places over Punjab, Chandigarh, and Uttar Pradesh. Haryana, Delhi, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand are expected to experience fog in few places, while isolated areas over Rajasthan may also be affected.
In addition to fog warnings, the IMD has highlighted the likelihood of cold day to severe cold day conditions in many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and a few places in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are predicted in certain areas of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, and isolated places in Uttar Pradesh and east Rajasthan.
The IMD’s warnings indicate that dense to very dense fog conditions are likely to prevail during the night and morning hours till January 16 in various parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi. Uttar Pradesh may experience similar conditions till January 15, with isolated pockets facing dense fog on January 16 and 17. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are expected to witness dense fog during the morning hours on January 14, with isolated pockets affected on January 15.