The brief respite on the first day of New Year ended with freezing cold in the national Capital on Thursday. Delhi witnessed its second spell of dense fog this month with the night temperature dipping to as low as 4°C and visibility touching the zero mark resulting in flight disruptions. The MeT Department said the dense fog conditions are likely to prevail on Friday as well.
“last night saw temperatures falling from 4°C to 5°C from the usual 10°C to 12°C. During the night two runways remained closed, while CAT-III B operations were imposed between 3.30 am to 6 am for flight operations,” informed an official at the IGI airport MeT Department. The minimum temperature plummeted to 5°C on Thursday which was two notches below normal. The maximum temperature was recorded at 18.3°C, which is two degrees below the season’s average. The humidity level oscillated between a maximum of 100 per cent and a minimum of 51 per cent, the weathermen informed. The winter chill was felt even more by Delhiites as strong winds continued to blow throughout the city at a speed of 15 kilometres per hour, Delhi woke up to moderate fog in the morning, but as the day progressed, the fog cleared.
On January 1, the minimum temperature had settled at 10.4°C, three notches above normal. The maximum was recorded two notches below normal at 18.2°C.
The MeT Department has predicted that the maximum and minimum temperatures would remain at 18°C and 4°C respectively. “Similar to January 1, where dense fog resulted to flight disruptions, January 3 is also expected to be the same. The last severe fog spell was during December 15-18 when almost all airports across North-West India, including IGI Airport were closed during late night and early morning,” informed an official.