Weather Update: Dense Fog Persistent In Delhi-NCR, IMD Predicts Foggy Conditions Till Dec 31; Check Forecast

The weather department said that the city is unlikely to witness a cold wave in the remaining days of the month and the minimum temperature is expected to stay around 6 to 8 degrees Celsius till December 31.

New Delhi: A thick layer of fog blanketed the national capital and adjoining areas on Thursday morning with visibility on roads reduced to just a few metres. The India Meteorological Department have predicted ‘very dense fog’ condition in Delhi for the next two days — December 28 and December 29. “Dense to very dense fog very likely in many parts of Punjab and Haryana, Chandigarh-Delhi; in some parts of Uttar Pradesh,” the IMD said in its five-day bulletin released on Wednesday.

The weather department however said that the city is unlikely to witness a cold wave in the remaining days of the month and the minimum temperature is expected to stay around 6 to 8 degrees Celsius till December 31. “Due to dense fog, the minimum temperature does not witness a sharp fall. Cold-wave conditions are unlikely for the next few days,” a Met official said.

The weather forecast agency said that the minimum temperatures are in the range of 7-10 degree Celsius over most parts of Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Madhya Pradesh, and Rajasthan and 11-12 degree Celsius over most parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, Vidarbha and interior Odisha. “These are 2-3 degree Celsius above normal over some parts of Punjab, Delhi, West Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and over many parts of Bihar, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, Gujarat and northeast India,” the IMD said.

Note: A cold wave is when the minimum temperature is four or more degrees below normal or when the minimum temperature is less than 4 degrees Celsius. A severe cold wave is declared when the minimum temperature is less than 2 degrees Celsius or it is 6.5 degrees or more below the normal temperature.

IMD issues rainfall alert

According to the weather department, a fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect Northwest India from 30th December. Under its the influence, light isolated rainfall likely over Northwest and adjoining Central India during 30th December-2nd January, 2024.IMD has also predicted light to moderate rainfall over Coastal Tamil Nadu from 30th December 2023 to 1st January 2024.

Flights diverted due to poor visibility

At least nine flights were diverted at the Delhi airport on Wednesday due to bad weather. An official said three flights of SpiceJet and one flight of Air India were diverted to Jaipur between 0900 and 1200 hrs on Wednesday.

Late in the evening, Vistara said five of its flights that were to land at the Delhi airport were diverted.  In a series of posts on X late in the evening, the airline said the flight from Patna, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Guwahati and Chennai to the national capital have been diverted.

Three flights were diverted to Indore and one flight each to Mumbai and Jaipur. Delhi airport issued a fog update at 2225 hours. “While landing and takeoff continue at Delhi airport, flights that are not CAT III compliant may get affected,” it said in a post on X.

CAT III pertains to operating flights when the visibility is quite low.