Dense Fog To Cover Delhi-NCR, North India Till New Year's Day: IMD

On Thursday morning, a dense haze enveloped parts of Delhi and its surroundings, causing delays for twenty-two trains as the temperature dropped to 6 degrees Celsius. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted persistent dense fog over Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Punjab until December 31.

At 5.30 am, visibility at Delhi's Safdarjung observatory was reduced to 50 meters, with Palam near Delhi airport reporting a visibility of 25 meters. Across Punjab, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and UP, visibility ranged from 50 to 25 meters. The fog covered a wide area, extending from Punjab to East Uttar Pradesh, including Haryana-Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh, north Rajasthan, and north Madhya Pradesh.

The IMD noted in a post on X that there would be "dense to very dense fog (0-25 meters) in some pockets of Uttar Pradesh and isolated pockets over Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, Southwest Rajasthan, and north Madhya Pradesh."

The Met anticipates "very dense fog" during late-night and morning hours until New Year's Eve in northern states. While some areas in Delhi experienced improved visibility in the morning, foggy weather persisted in the NCR region. The IMD warned that fog is likely to become denser and extend to more parts of Uttar Pradesh, north Rajasthan, and some parts of extreme north Madhya Pradesh, advising travellers to exercise caution and use fog lights while driving.

Amidst the ongoing cold wave conditions, the minimum temperature settled at 6 degrees Celsius, with the maximum expected to remain below 21 degrees Celsius. The air quality in the city remained "very poor" for the second consecutive day, with an average Air Quality Index (AQI) of 386. Anand Vihar recorded an AQI of 464 in the "severe" category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), poor air quality is expected to persist for the next two days.

On Wednesday, thick haze affected much of northern India, resulting in over 110 flight delays and 25 train delays in and out of Delhi. As roads remained shrouded in fog, multiple collisions were reported across Uttar Pradesh, leading to casualties and injuries. One fatal incident occurred on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, where a collision resulted in one fatality and 12 injuries. In Bareilly, a speeding truck collided with a house near the Bareilly-Sultanpur highway. Additionally, a significant pileup on the Yamuna Expressway near Greater Noida caused injuries and involved 12 vehicles. Visuals from the scene depicted damaged trucks and cars at the pileup site.

 IMD: दिल्ली-NCR, उत्तर भारत में घना कोहरा रहेगा, नए साल तक।