Air and rail operations hit as cold, fog grip north India
Delhi records 5.7 C on season’s coldest day, low visibility hits transport
NEW DELHI: Thick fog suspended operations at the Delhi airport for about two hours on Monday morning, delaying several domestic and international flights and cancelling one.
Nearly 56 trains were delayed and 15 others cancelled as visibility dropped to zero metres in the early hours of the day.
“The minimum temperature dropped to 5.7 degrees Celsius on Monday. This is the coldest day of the season so far. It is likely to drop further to around 5 degrees Celsius over the next few days,” said an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official.
The pollution level fell marginally since Sunday to ‘severe’ zone and is expected to drop further from Wednesday, according to the weather department.
“While the moisture in the air helped to trap pollutants in the air, the calm wind was not able to flush out the pollutants. As a result, pollution levels have shot up,” said an official at the Central Pollution Control Board.
J&K, SHIMLA SHIVER
Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, ushered in the New Year under freezing conditions as the city recorded the coldest night of this winter with a minimum of minus 4.4 degrees Celsius, said an official of the MET department.
The earlier lowest this winter was minus 4.2 degrees Celsius recorded on 25 December.
Leh in Ladakh region was the coldest recorded place in the state on Sunday night as the minimum temperature settled at minus 14.5 degrees Celsius, the official said.
The cold wave continued in the rest of Kashmir with all weather stations recording temperatures several degrees below the freezing point. The official said the mercury in Qazigund in south Kashmir settled at a low of minus 3.4 degrees Celsius.
Kokernag town recorded a low of minus 2.4 degrees Celsius while Kupwara town in registered a low of minus 4.0 degrees Celsius on Sunday night, he said.
The official said the mercury at the famous ski resort of Gulmarg in north Kashmir settled at a low of minus 7.5 degrees Celsius.
The night temperature in Pahalgam, recorded a low of minus 5.0 degrees Celsius, the official said.
The Himachal Pradesh capital on Monday also saw the season’s lowest temperature of 2.7 degrees Celsius despite no white New Year’s Eve.
The temperatures remained below the freezing point in many places in the state
VISIBILITY DIPS
In Haryana and Punjab, visibility levels dipped drastically on Monday, touching the zero mark at many places due to heavy fog. Officials said some trains were delayed and flight operations were affected due to fog.
Hisar in Haryana quivered at 1.6 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal limits, a MeT department official said, adding that it was the season’s coldest night in the city.
Narnaul had a low of 3.6 degrees Celsius, Sirsa 5.8, Karnal 8.4, Rohtak 7.1, Bhiwani 7.4, and Chandigarh 8.2.