Delhi weather: IMD issues cold wave alert for city with ‘dense to very dense fog’ likely in next two days

Delhi will continue to shiver as mercury will drop further over the New Year’s weekend, the weather department said on Friday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a cold-day alert for the national capital on Friday, predicting “dense to very dense fog” for the next two days.

"Cold-day conditions are very likely in some to many parts of Delhi on December 30 and 31," the IMD said.

The nearby National Capital Region (NCR) area will also feel the wrath of cold temperatures. IMD also forecasted the probability of a “cold wave” in isolated pockets of Delhi, starting from the second week of January.

‘Cold wave’ alert in the national capital

On December 30, the minimum temperaturein various parts of Delhi wasrecorded around 11 degrees Celsius. In Safdarjung, the minimum temperature was 11.8 degrees Celsius, in Palam it was 12 degrees Celsius and in the Ridge area it went as low as 11 degrees Celsius.

The neighbouring areas of the national capital further felt the freezing temperatures. In Chandigarh, the minimum temperature was reported at 8.9 degrees Celsius, in Ambala it was 9.1 degrees Celsius, in Karnal it was 9.6 degrees Celsius while Hissar was the coldest at 7.7 degrees Celsius.

Furthermore, transportation in the city was affected due to dense fog. For the third consecutive day, train services were disrupted as 11 Delhi-bound trains faced delays due to the persistent foggy conditions in the region.

"Fog conditions at IGIA (Indira Gandhi International Airport) improved significantly in the morning, with the lowest visibility at 150 metres in dense fog," the IMD said earlier.

Amid cold temperatures, no respite in the air quality of the city was reported. The heavy fog further worsens the situation of pollution in the city. At 4:00 pm on Friday, the 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 382, categorising the air quality as ‘very poor.

(With inputs from agencies)