Dense fog envelopes Delhi, minimum temperature at 8.4 degrees

Delhi experienced a slight rise in its minimum temperature, reaching 8.4 degrees Celsius, just above the seasonal average. Dense fog affected visibility across various parts of the city on Thursday, said India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The reduced visibility caused disruptions in railway services, resulting in 22 Delhi-bound trains facing delays.

The IMD issued a bulletin highlighting the presence of dense to very dense fog (0-25 metres) in specific pockets of Uttar Pradesh, as well as isolated areas in Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Southwest Rajasthan, and North Madhya Pradesh.

Areas such as Patiala, Ambala, Chandigarh Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Palam, Bareilly, Lucknow, Varanasi, and Gwalior recorded visibility of less than 30 metres, as mentioned by the IMD.

The department predicts that the maximum temperature in Delhi will hover around 21 degrees Celsius. Concurrently, the city’s air quality remained in the “very poor” category.

At 8:30 am, the relative humidity in Delhi was recorded at 95 per cent, as per the IMD’s data.

Furthermore, the IMD has issued a dense fog warning for Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi, effective during late and early hours until December 31.

As part of an advisory to deal with dense fog, the department urged drivers to use fog lights and advised travelers to keep abreast of the schedules of airlines, railways, and state transport. The IMD emphasized exercising caution while driving or using any mode of transportation.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) indicated that Delhi’s overall air quality index (AQI) stood at 377 at 9 am.

The AQI scale categorizes values between zero and 50 as “good”, 51 to 100 as “satisfactory”, 101 to 200 as “moderate”, 201 to 300 as “poor”, 301 to 400 as “very poor”, and 401 to 500 as “severe”. (With inputs from PTI)