Parts of Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) witnessed dense fog on Wednesday morning, causing reduced visibility in various areas of the capital city. The minimum temperature recorded in Delhi on Wednesday was 9 degrees Celsius, with the maximum temperature expected to be around 20 degrees Celsius, as per the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD forecasts that Delhi will experience extreme cold in the next few days, with the minimum temperature likely to touch 7 degrees Celsius on January 3. According to the Met Department, visibility in various regions was significantly reduced, with some areas in Rajasthan, Jammu Division, Haryana, and East Madhya Pradesh experiencing visibility less than 200 meters.
At the Indira Gandhi International Airport, visuals showed dense fog, leading to delays in several flights to and from Delhi due to poor visibility. Additionally, at least 26 trains arrived late in the national capital due to the prevailing foggy conditions, as reported by Indian Railways.
Homeless individuals in Delhi sought refuge at night shelters, appreciating the facilities provided by the government, including free food, washrooms inside the tents, and attentive staff. As temperatures dropped, people gathered around bonfires to stay warm.
Despite the harsh weather and dense fog, forces were seen rehearsing for the Republic Day parade at Kartavya Path in Delhi. The Met Department issued a weather warning for dense to very dense fog and cold day to severe cold day conditions in several places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
People in areas surrounding Delhi, such as Agra, Meerut, and Mathura, expressed discomfort due to the cold weather. The IMD highlighted that due to fog cover late Tuesday evening, visibility in some areas was significantly reduced, with Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh recording the lowest visibility at 25 meters.
In response to multiple accidents caused by the prevalent fog, the Uttar Pradesh transport commissioner issued strict instructions, including a ban on children below 18 years of age from driving. Violating this directive could result in the vehicle owner facing imprisonment for three years and a fine of Rs 25,000 as a penalty.
The IMD categorizes fog as ‘very dense’ when visibility is between 0 and 50 meters, ‘dense’ when it is between 51 and 200 meters, ‘moderate’ between 201 and 500 meters, and ‘shallow’ between 501 and 1,000 meters.