Dense fog engulfs north India; ‘yellow’ alert issued in Delhi

Officials have issued an advisory saying that difficult driving conditions on highways, some collisions and tripping of power lines are possible.

By: Express Web Desk

New Delhi | Updated: December 20, 2022 11:38 AM IST

3 min read

Dense fog covers the national capital this morning. (Express Photo)

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Dense to very dense fog engulfed the Indo-Gangetic plains, including Delhi, for the second consecutive morning on Tuesday, with visibility plummeting to 25 metres in the national capital, affecting traffic movement. Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 6.3 degrees Celsius at the Safdarjung Observatory this morning.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘yellow’ alert for Delhi from December 20-23, which is a warning to ‘be aware’ on account of a forecast for moderate to dense fog.

The IMD categorises ‘very dense’ fog when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, ‘dense’ fog when it is between 51 and 200, ‘moderate’ from 201 and 500, and ‘shallow’ from 501 and 1,000.

Also Read | Dense fog over parts of Delhi, temperatures set to dip this week

Visibility dropped to 25 metres at the Palam airport and 50 metres at the Safdarjung airport this morning, an IMD official said, reported PTI. Bhatinda in Punjab reported zero visibility at 5.30 am, while visibility in Amritsar, Ganganagar, Patiala and Lucknow was reported to be 25 metres.

Visibility data & RGB Composite (Satellite) imagery show that Dense to Very Dense layer of Fog lies mainly over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, North Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh. (Twitter/@Indiametdept)

A tweet from Delhi Airport’s official Twitter account informed that Low Visibility Procedures have been in progress at the Delhi Airport since midnight. “All flight operations are presently normal,” it said.

The weather department has issued an advisory of dense fog for the next three days over pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, north Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal.

The department also issued an advisory saying that difficult driving conditions on highways, some collisions and tripping of power lines are possible.

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 6.3 degrees Celsius at the Safdarjung Observatory this morning. (Express Photo)

“Likely train delays, diversions and cancellations. Airport operations are likely to be affected with flight delays and cancellations,” it said.

“Wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath likely for people having asthma and bronchitis and it could lead to eye irritation/infection on long exposures,” the IMD said.

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Meanwhile, an accident was reported in the Dankaur area of Uttar Pradesh due to fog early Tuesday morning, according to news agency ANI. At least 10 people were injured and one death was reported after a bus carrying 60 passengers collided with a container vehicle.

(With inputs from agencies)

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