Dense Fog Disrupts Flights and Trains in Delhi

Severe Fog Affects Visibility in National Capital

On Tuesday morning, dense fog reduced visibility to as low as 50 meters in parts of the national capital for nearly nine hours, significantly impacting both flight and train operations. Experts indicated that this fog was caused by moisture from a recent western disturbance, which is expected to dissipate by Wednesday.

The lowest visibility was recorded at Safdarjung at 50 meters, followed by Palam at 100 meters. An official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) noted, "Visibility began to decline rapidly from Monday night, reaching 100 meters by 11:30 PM. It remained in that range until 8:30 AM on Tuesday."

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IMD categorizes fog as 'light' when visibility is between 1,000 and 500 meters; 'moderate' between 500 and 200 meters; 'dense' between 199 and 50 meters; and 'very dense' when visibility drops below 50 meters. Although no flights were canceled or diverted at Indira Gandhi International Airport, flight tracking service FlightRadar24 reported that over 500 flights experienced delays throughout the day, primarily affecting departures, with an average delay of around 30 minutes. Additionally, more than 50 trains arriving and departing from the capital were delayed during the early hours of the day.

Weather Alerts Issued

The weather department issued a 'yellow alert' for dense fog during the morning and before noon. A 'yellow alert' serves as an early warning indicating that adverse weather conditions may arise, potentially disrupting daily activities.

According to central data, the minimum temperatures recorded were 9.4 degrees Celsius at Palam, 8.3 degrees at Lodhi Road, 9.2 degrees at Ridge, and 8.6 degrees at Aya Nagar. At 9 AM, the air quality index (AQI) in Delhi was noted at 319, categorizing it as 'very poor'.

The Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) classifies AQI levels as follows: 0-50 is 'good', 51-100 is 'satisfactory', 101-200 is 'moderate', 201-300 is 'poor', 301-400 is 'very poor', and 401-500 is 'severe'.