India: Delhi wakes up to a foggy Christmas morning and chilly weather

Delhiites woke up to a cold morning and dense fog on Christmas as the temperature dipped further in the capital city, adding cheer to holiday vibes. The minimum temperature in the national capital on Sunday dropped to 9.1 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

On Saturday, the Palam observatory of the national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 14 degrees Celsius, while Safdarjung logged 12.2 degrees Celsius.

On the early morning of Christmas, the temperature dipped to 9.4 degrees Celsius at 8:30 am, as per IMD.

Add WION as a Preferred Source

Also Read |Aircraft with Indian passengers detained in France could leave today

Dense fog in Delhi and nearby states over the next week

The IMD forecast dense fog in Delhi from Dec 25 to Dec 28. There will be foggy conditions and chilly temperatures from Dec 29 to Dec 30, with minimum temperatures seeing a fall.

As per IMD, very dense fog to fog conditions are also predicted in the morning hours in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana and East Uttar Pradesh during Dec 25-27.

Among other states, dense fog is expected in Gangetic West Bengal on Dec 25, Odisha on Dec 25-26, Rajasthan on Dec 26, Madhya Pradesh on Dec 26-27 and in Punjab and Haryana on Dec 28-29.

In the North Eastern states, the weather body has said that fog conditions continue over Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura during Dec 27-29.

Also Read |Indian PM Narendra Modi assures support to Tamil Nadu, deputes Sitharaman to assess flood situation

Several flights delayed due to dense fog

In Delhi and Hyderabad, multiple flight services were affected due to fog and reduced visibility.

Delhi Airport said on X, "While landings and take off continue at Delhi Airport, flights that are not CAT III complaint may get affected. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information. Any inconvenience caused is deeply regretted."

SpiceJet also shared on X, "Due to bad weather in Delhi (DEL), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may get affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status."

Also Read |India to build new research station in Antarctica by 2029, replacing ‘very old’ Maitri

Meanwhile, amid dipping temperatures and fog, the air quality of the capital city continues to deteriorate. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi was recorded in the “very poor” range at 8:00 am on Sunday, as per the SAFAR-India (System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research).

The Met department said earlier that minimum temperature across North India was likely to increase by 2-3 degrees Celsius over the next three days.

(With inputs from agencies)