Weather update: Thick fog engulfs North India, flight operations affected at Delhi airport

On Thursday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that a thick fog covered parts of Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Tripura amid the ongoing cold wave conditions in North India. Moderate fog was observed in the Jammu division.

Due to low visibility caused by fog, several flight operations were delayed at the Delhi airport.

As of 5.30 am today, visibility was recorded between 25-500 metres in different parts of the country. In Uttar Pradesh's Bareilly-25, Lucknow-25, Prayagraj-50, Varanasi-50, Gorakhpur-200.

In Delhi's Safdarjung-500, Palam-700; Rajasthan's Bikaner-25, Jaisalmer-50, Kota-50, Jaipur-50; Bihar's Gaya-25, Purnea-25, Patna-200; Tripura's Agartala-50; Chandigarh-25.

'Very dense' fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, 51 and 200 metres is 'dense', 201 and 500 metres 'moderate', and 501 and 1,000 metres 'shallow.'

The IMD on Wednesday forecasted the persisting cold day to severe cold day conditions over certain regions of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan to continue for the next two days and subsequently decrease.

"Dense to very dense fog is likely to continue over some parts of plains of Northwest and East India during the next two days and gradually decrease thereafter," the weather department added further.

The minimum temperatures are in the range of 6-9 degree Celsius over most parts of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan and in range of 10-12 degree Celsius over East Uttar Pradesh, North Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Sikkim.

These are above normal by 2-4 degrees over many parts of Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh and Gujarat.

No significant change in minimum temperatures is likely over rest parts of north India during the next five days, it forecast.

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