IMD predicts 'very dense' fog over northern India

India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a red alert, saying that 'very dense' fog is likely to continue over many parts of plains of Northwest and adjoining Central India and likely to further extend to East India during next two days.

The weather forecast agency said that cold day conditions are likely to continue over some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and north Rajasthan on Saturday and Sunday.

In its daily bulletin, the IMD said that very dense fog conditions (visibility ≤50 m) are very likely to prevail over many parts of Punjab during late evening to next day morning and over West Uttar Pradesh during mid night and morning hours till January 4, over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, East Uttar Pradesh till January 1.

While dense fog conditions (visibility 50-200 m) are very likely to prevail for a few hours in early morning/morning hours over Uttarakhand till January 4, north Madhya Pradesh, north Rajasthan, Jharkhand on Sunday and January 1.

Similar conditions are expected at Gangetic West Bengal on Sunday, Odisha, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura during Sunday and January 2.

The IMD said that under the influence of a feeble Western Disturbance, light isolated rainfall/snowfall is very likely over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Saturday and Sunday.

The IMD further also predicted fall by 2-3 degree Celsius in maximum temperatures are likely over many parts of Central and Northwest India during next two days and no significant change thereafter.

The IMD also said that due to a fresh easterly wave and Low Pressure Area over West Equatorial Indian Ocean and adjoining Southeast Arabian Sea; light to moderate rainfall at some places very likely over south Tamil Nadu, south Kerala and Lakshadweep from till January 3 with isolated heavy rainfall over south Tamil Nadu on Saturday.