Residents woke up to a foggy morning in the national Capital on Saturday with chilly conditions as the minimum temperature settled three notches below normal at 4.6 degrees Celsius. Two flights and 25 trains were delayed, along with 14 trains rescheduled, as fog enveloped the city in the early hours of the day. Two flights were also reported to be delayed at Indira Gandhi International Airport.
According to experts, no respite is expected during the next few days as night temperatures are likely to sustain, possibly with some marginal variations. "Moderate to dense fog enveloped many parts of the city while some isolated pockets also witnessed very dense fog," said MeT official. Rail services were disrupted due to fog resulting in cancellation and delaying of many trains.
"Thirty trains have been cancelled along with 21 delayed including those announced earlier due to the fog," said a senior Railways official. Also, about 25 trains are running behind schedule by 2-5 hours because of the bad weather, he said.
"Flight operations at IGI Airport were almost normal except two flights which were delayed. There was no cancellation of any flight because of weather conditions," Delhi airport authorities said. Visibility in the city dropped as a result of fog resulting in zero visibility at Palam and 300 meter at Safdarjung at 8.30 AM, said the MeT official. The humidity level at 8.30 AM was recorded at 100 per cent, he said.
The weatherman has predicted a mainly clear sky for the day with maximum temperature rising up to 19 degrees Celsius. Officials added that the temperature is likely to be the same giving no respite from the chilling weather conditions.
Earlier on January 20, Delhi Government had asked schools to suspend the primary classes in wake of the wintry chill. Delhi along with North India had witnessed exceptionally warm temperatures this season till mid-January.
Since last couple of days, Delhi had been reeling under the cold wave conditions with maximum temperatures settling below 16 degrees Celsius. Thursday's maximum temperature settled at 17.3 degrees Celsius, four notches below the season's average while the minimum temperature was recorded at 6.9 degrees Celsius, one notch below the season's average.