Delhi experienced the most intense fog of this winter on Tuesday, causing visibility to plummet to zero metres at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) and disrupting both flight and train operations. The minimum temperature dropped to nearly 7 degrees Celsius.

As of 10 am, over 100 flights were delayed at the Delhi airport, and 14 train arrivals faced delays due to the foggy conditions. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital remained in the “very poor” category, reaching 377 by 4 pm, with specific areas recording higher AQI levels. Reduced visibility due to thick fog was observed in various parts of the city, including Safdarjung, Anand Vihar, and India Gate.

At Delhi’s primary weather station in Safdarjung, visibility was recorded at 200 metres at 5:30 am, while it measured 100 metres at Palam.

According to Delhi airport officials, at least 55 domestic and 17 international departures, along with 39 domestic and 12 international arrivals, were delayed due to poor visibility. Additionally, five flights were diverted from Delhi to Jaipur between 8:30 am and 10 am.

The Delhi airport issued an alert to passengers regarding flight delays as dense fog persisted over the national capital for the third consecutive day, reducing visibility to nearly zero. According to the Delhi Airport Flight Information Display System data, the IGI airport is experiencing delays in both arrivals and departures for approximately 30 flights, with five flights diverted to Jaipur between 8:30 am and 10 am. “Delhi airport is facing delays in both arrivals and departures for about 30 flights, including international ones, due to dense fog,” stated airport officials. They also issued an advisory, notifying passengers that while landing and take offs continue, flights not compliant with CAT III standards may be affected.

The CAT III instrument is an anti-fog landing system activated during poor visibility.

“While landings and take offs persist at Delhi airport, non-CAT III compliant flights may experience disruptions. Passengers are urged to contact their respective airlines for updated flight information. We deeply regret any inconvenience caused,” stated the advisory from Delhi Airport.

The Northern Railways reported that 14 trains have been affected in the northern zone due to dense fog prevailing over the national capital on Tuesday. Delayed arrivals in Delhi include Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express, Howrah-New Delhi Poorva Express, Kanpur-New Delhi Shramshakti, Allahabad-New Delhi Prayagraj, Azamgarh-Delhi Kaifiyat Express, Bhagalpur-Anand Vihar Vikramshilla,

Gaya-New Delhi Magadh Express, Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani, Durg-Nizamuddin Samparkkranti, Chennai-New Delhi GT Express, Hyderabad-New Delhi Telangana, Habibgang-New Delhi Bhopal Express, Khajuraho-Kurukshetra Express, and Vasco-Nizamuddin Goa Express.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts that dense to very dense fog is likely to persist over northwest and parts of adjoining central India for the next 3-4 days. Foggy conditions are expected from December 29 to December 30, with a slight dip in the minimum temperature, according to the weather department.

Morning scenes from Delhi’s India Gate, Sarai Kale Khan, AIIMS, Safdarjung, and Anand Vihar areas revealed a dense fog, significantly reducing visibility.

The weather office supplemented this observation with satellite images illustrating a widespread fog layer extending over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh. Reports from Moradabad and Kanpur in Uttar Pradesh indicated an almost zero visibility due to a thick fog blanket. People were observed gathering around bonfires along roads and lanes to combat the bone-chilling cold in the region.

In its bulletin, the weather forecast agency predicted that dense to very dense fog conditions were highly likely to persist during the early and morning hours in certain pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh from Tuesday to Thursday. Additionally, these conditions were expected over Rajasthan and north Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday and Wednesday.