The winter chill has tightened its grip on Delhi as the minimum temperature in New Delhi plummeted to 4.9 degrees Celsius on Friday, marking the first instance this season of the mercury dipping below 5 degrees. This deviation of below 4 degrees from the normal for this time of the year has residents bracing for a cold winter season. In contrast, the maximum temperature on Thursday was recorded at 24.1 degrees Celsius in New Delhi.
Simultaneously, several regions in north and northeast India woke up to thick fog on Friday morning, severely impacting visibility and causing disruptions in normal life. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported very dense fog in isolated pockets over Punjab, while shallow to moderate fog affected isolated areas in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, and Tripura at 0530 hours on Friday.
As the city of Amritsar became cloaked in dense fog, residents sought solace from bonfires to combat the persistent coldwave conditions. The recorded visibility at 0530 hours IST was less than or equal to 500 meters in many places. Amritsar reported zero visibility, Patiala had 500 meters, Ghoorpur in Uttar Pradesh recorded 200 meters, and Lucknow and Varanasi each had 500 meters of visibility. Purnea in Bihar, Guwahati in Assam and Meghalaya, and Kailashahar in Tripura reported 200 meters and 500 meters of visibility, respectively.
The IMD highlighted these conditions, stating, “Visibility recorded (at 0530 hours IST of today, 15th Dec) (≤500 meters): Punjab: Amritsar-0, Patiala-500; Uttar Pradesh: Ghoorpur-200, Lucknow & Varanasi-500 each; Bihar: Purnea-200; Assam & Meghalaya: Guwahati-200; Tripura: Kailashahar-500.”
Fog, a weather phenomenon where tiny water droplets come together to create a dense cloud close to the ground or sea, is notorious for hindering visibility. The thick fog poses challenges for drivers, reducing visibility to just a few meters and making travel difficult.