Cold wave grips Delhi: Flights, trains delayed as dense fog blankets national capital

The National Capital woke up to another chilling morning on Sunday as the temperature was recorded in the single digits, causing inconvenience to passengers as several flights and trains were delayed. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), visibility at Delhi-Palam was reduced from 400 meters at 2:00 am to 100 meters at 2:30 am on Sunday, and it further reduced to 0 meters since 3:00 am.

The minimum temperature in Delhi on Sunday morning was recorded to be 8.5 degrees Celsius, as per IMD. In another post on X, the IMD said, "Fog layer is very clearly visible over the plains of north India from Punjab to Bihar across Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, northwest Rajasthan, and north Madhya Pradesh at 6:30 am today." "Dense to Very Dense Fog observed in isolated pockets over Delhi, North Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh, West Madhya Pradesh," the weather department added. Nearly a dozen passenger trains to the national capital were also running behind schedule.

As per the northern railways, around 11 trains like the Amritsar-Nanded Express, Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Exp, Ambedkarnagar-Katra, and Manikpur-Nizamuddin Express, among others, were delayed due to dense fog conditions. Similarly, at Delhi airport, people were seen waiting for their flights that were late by several hours. Some of the flights were also announced as cancelled, causing inconvenience to the passengers. "My flight was delayed because of fog. It was supposed to land here at 4:45 am, but it landed at around 5:35 am," said Neha Beniwal, a passenger who came from Bahrain.

Delhi airport authorities also issued an advisory, stating that passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight operations. Notably, the IMD has predicted Very Dense fog conditions on January 22. Foggy conditions are likely to prevail for the rest of the days until January 27. People were seen sitting around a bonfire to keep themselves warm as the cold wave continued in Delhi. Meanwhile, on Saturday, low visibility was recorded in several parts of Northern India, causing inconvenience to passengers traveling by train and air.