Delhi, The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘cold-wave’ alert for Delhi, projecting the likelihood of ‘dense to very dense fog’ in the NCR region over the next two days. As the city grapples with persistent foggy conditions, here are the latest updates on the situation:
1. Temperature Fluctuations:
– The minimum temperature in the national capital was recorded at 10.7 degrees Celsius, marking a deviation of four notches above the seasonal average.
– The maximum temperature reached 19.8 degrees Celsius, with humidity levels fluctuating between 84% and 100%.
2. Transportation Disruptions:
– Dense fog continues to disrupt transportation in the city, affecting train services for the third consecutive day.
– 11 Delhi-bound trains faced delays due to the persistent foggy conditions in the region.
3. Flight Diversions:
– Between midnight on December 25 and 6 am on Thursday, 50 out of the total 58 diverted flights were a result of airlines not scheduling pilots trained to land in airports with extremely poor visibility.
– IndiGo experienced the highest number of flight diversions, with 13 flights redirected due to not rostering required pilots for landing during the fog season.
4. Air Quality Index (AQI):
– At 4 pm, the 24-hour average AQI stood at 382, categorizing the air quality as ‘very poor.’
5. Future Weather Predictions:
– The IMD predicts ‘cold-day conditions’ in some to many parts of Delhi on December 30 and 31.
– Probability of a ‘cold wave’ in isolated pockets of Delhi is expected to start from the second week of January.
6. Saturday Forecast:
– On Saturday, the expected maximum and minimum temperatures are anticipated to be around 19 and 10 degrees Celsius, respectively.
– The AQI scale categorizes air quality as follows: 0-50 as ‘good,’ 51-100 as ‘satisfactory,’ 101-200 as ‘moderate,’ 201-300 as ‘poor,’ 301-400 as ‘very poor,’ and 401-500 as ‘severe.’
As Delhi faces challenging weather conditions, residents are advised to stay informed and take necessary precautions to navigate the ongoing cold wave and fog disruptions.
With inputs from agencies.
