Dense Fog Disrupts Transport Across Northern Plains; No Relief in Sight
Image: AI-Skymet
Key Takeaways
- Dense to very dense fog has severely disrupted air, rail, and road traffic.
- Visibility dropped to as low as 50 metres at Delhi airport.
- Multiple cities across north and central India reported near-zero visibility.
- Fog conditions are likely to persist for the next 3–4 days.
Dense fog disrupted road, rail, and air traffic across the northern plains, including Delhi. No relief is in sight.
Dense fog began on December 18 and persisted on December 19 as well. In fact, the intensity of fog increased on December 19. Airport visibility reduced to just 50 metres at 2:00 a.m. and continued until 8:30 a.m. More than 150 flights were cancelled or diverted.
Visibility was almost nil in Agra, Bareilly, Saharanpur, and Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh; Ambala in Haryana; and Amritsar, Bathinda, Ludhiana, and Adampur in Punjab. Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh, Bhagalpur in Bihar, and Daltonganj in Jharkhand also reported almost nil visibility.
Temperatures remain low, skies are clear, and winds are light and variable. Humidity levels are high during night and early morning hours. Due to overnight cooling of the Earth’s surface, the humid air near the ground cools significantly, leading to condensation and the formation of dense fog.
A fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect the western Himalayas between December 20 and 23. Wind speeds are expected to remain very low over the northern plains during this period. Therefore, no significant relief is expected over the next three to four days from the ongoing dense fog conditions.
Train services are running late, while flights continue to face delays, diversions, and cancellations. The risk of road accidents has increased due to very low visibility. Skymet advises people to exercise utmost caution while driving and to check train and flight schedules before travelling.
