Winter chill, fog prevails in north India; Mount Abu shivers at 4°C
IMD predicted that dense to very dense fog conditions are very likely to prevail in night or morning hours in some parts of north Indian states.
Chill and fog persisted across North India on Saturday, with New Delhi reporting a low of 8.9 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted dense to very dense fog in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and eastern Rajasthan over the next 48 hours.
Saturday witnessed very dense fog in isolated areas of Jammu Division, West Rajasthan, Haryana-Chandigarh, and East Uttar Pradesh, while many parts of Punjab experienced dense fog. Mount Abu in Sirohi district shivered at 4°C.
“Dense fog conditions very likely to prevail for a few hours in morning in isolated pockets over East Uttar Pradesh during 06th-09th January; over West Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam & Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura during 06th-08th January; over Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Odisha on 06th & 07th January,” IMD wrote on X.
The weather department further anticipates dense fog in specific regions from January 6 to 9, including East Uttar Pradesh, West Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Odisha on specific dates.
IMD predicted that dense to very dense fog conditions are very likely to prevail in night or morning hours in some parts of Punjab and isolated pockets of Haryana-Chandigarh from Sunday till January 8 and a dense fog in isolated pockets for subsequent three days.
The forecast indicates dense to very dense fog in parts of Punjab and Haryana-Chandigarh until January 8, with subsequent days seeing isolated dense fog. West Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan may experience dense to very dense fog next Monday.
Flights delayed and trains cancelled due to fog
Fog and severe weather conditions in North India caused multiple flight delays. Spicejet, among other airlines, provided passengers with advisories regarding the delays attributable to the fog.
"Due to expected poor visibility in Amritsar(ATQ), Jammu(IXJ), Varanasi(VNS), Gorakhpur(GOP), Patna(PAT), Jaipur(JAI), Shirdi(SAG) and Darbhanga(DBR) all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may get affected," spicejet airline shared in a post on X.
The fog and adverse weather conditions affected numerous trains commuting to and from the capital city. As a result of the fog in the area, 22 trains bound for the national capital experienced delays on Friday.
Rainfall alert to these states
The meteorological department has forecast rainfall across peninsular India, covering Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Lakshadweep over the next four to five days.
According to the IMD, coastal Tamil Nadu is expected to experience isolated heavy rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning from Sunday through January 10, with the northern coastal areas likely to witness very heavy rainfall on Monday.
Furthermore, light to moderate rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, is anticipated in various regions including Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and the northern parts of Maharashtra on January 8 and 9.
There is a chance of isolated hailstorms over Rajasthan on January 8 and 9, followed by possible occurrences over Madhya Pradesh on January 9, IMD said.