Dense Fog Paralyzes Northern India: Disruption of Flights and trains in Delhi

Dense fog enveloped northern India on Wednesday morning, causing disruptions at Delhi airport with over 110 affected flights and affecting visibility, which dropped to just 50 meters. A red alert for “very dense fog” was issued by the weather office in the national capital, as cold wave conditions persisted. Traffic movement was hampered, and 25 trains destined for Delhi experienced delays, as reported by Northern Railways.

The hazardous fog conditions led to multiple collisions on roads across Uttar Pradesh, resulting in one fatality and 12 injuries on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway. In Bareilly, a speeding truck collided with a house near the Bareilly-Sultanpur highway. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted “dense to very dense fog conditions” in Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP, Rajasthan, and Madhya Pradesh.

Visibility challenges were widespread, with the Palam observatory near Indira Gandhi International Airport recording 125 meters and the Safdarjung observatory plummeting to just 50 meters. Commuters reported even lower visibility in various parts of Delhi. Other north Indian cities, including Patiala, Lucknow, and Prayagraj, experienced very low visibility of 25 meters, while in Amritsar, it dropped to 0 meters.

Accompanying the fog, there was a notable decline in air quality in Delhi after weeks of relatively good air. The average air quality index dropped to 381, categorizing it as “very poor.” The minimum temperature in Delhi was recorded at 7 degrees Celsius, with the maximum expected to reach 24 degrees Celsius. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Anand Vihar in Delhi recorded a 441 AQI, Lodhi Road in central Delhi recorded 327, and the IGI airport stood at 368. Neighboring Ghaziabad and Noida recorded AQI levels of 336 and 363, respectively. The forecast indicates a further reduction in air quality over the next week.

The weather office clarified that very dense fog occurs when visibility is between 0 and 50 meters, with varying classifications for higher visibility ranges: 51-200 meters as dense, 201-500 meters as moderate, and 501-1,000 meters as shallow.

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