Flight Operations Hit As Dense Fog Envelops Delhi, North India Reels Under Cold Wave

A blinding blanket of dense fog enveloped Delhi and several parts of north India on Monday, severely disrupting flight schedules and normal life while amplifying the ongoing cold wave.

Visibility dropped to dangerously low levels as a thick layer of fog engulfed Punjab, Haryana, Delhi NCR, Uttar Pradesh, and north Madhya Pradesh since early morning hours. Satellite imagery from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed the fog cover spreading through the Indo-Gangetic plains.

In Delhi, visibility at the airport fell below 100 meters in the early hours, resulting in delayed departure and arrival of as many as 56 flights. This included scheduled services of major domestic and international carriers which were delayed by around 30 minutes on average.

Officials said very poor visibility prevailed over other airports in the region as well, including Amritsar which saw visibility drop to 50 meters, and Lucknow with 800 meter visibility. The fog cover is expected to intensify further across the northwest, with visibility levels likely falling below 500 meters in the next six hours.

The scenario was similar in other parts of north India, where dense fog disrupted road, rail, and air connectivity. Places like Sirsa, Bhiwani, Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Patiala reported severely reduced visibility, amplifying hardships for daily commuters.

Meanwhile, the ongoing cold wave saw minimum temperatures dip further in Kashmir and other hilly areas. Srinagar recorded a bone-chilling minus 2.3 degrees Celsius Monday morning. Weather officials said the chilly conditions are likely to continue this week, even leading to cold wave situations in isolated pockets of north India.

Authorities have advised people to remain indoors as much as possible during early morning and late evening hours. Fog-related accidents are also common during such weather, necessitating extra precautions by citizens.