Dense fog engulfs Delhi-NCR, 30 trains running late, flights diverted

Dense fog was witnessed in Delhi and National Capital Region on Monday morning, leading to disruptions in rail traffic. Normal operations have been suspended at Delhi airport due to poor visibility. Airlines have also issued an advisory for passengers taking flights from Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The temperature on Monday fell to 2.2 degree Celsius from 2.8 degree Celsius on Sunday, according to monitoring unit on Lodhi Road in Delhi. Safdarjung recorded 2.6 degrees and Palam at 2.9 degrees, Lodhi Road at 2.2 degrees and Aya Nagar at 2.5 degrees.

Delhi's air quality index was in the severe category at 450 at 8.38 am.

The visibility recorded by the Safdarjung and Palam observatories stood at zero metres at 8.30 am. It was recorded at 100 metres at Safdarjung and zero at Palam at 5.30 am.

Three flights were diverted from the Delhi airport due to heavy fog, but according to an update at 7 am, an airport official said, "no flights have been cancelled yet".

Thirty trains were delayed and the delay ranged from two to seven and a half hours, according to a Railways official.

The Delhi-Bhubaneshwar Rajdhani was delayed by seven and a half hours.

The weatherman has forecast mainly clear skies for the day with the maximum temperature likely to hover around 16 degrees Celsius. Foggy conditions will continue to prevail on Tuesday with the minimum temperature likely to settle around three degrees Celsius.

Air Quality Index in the national capital fell to "severe" category on Monday morning, with the Anand Vihar observatory recording air quality index (AQI) of 462 and the Okhla Phase-2 centre reporting an AQI of 494.

On Sunday, a code red warning was issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the cold wave conditions in Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh.

Code red, under the IMD's classification, is the highest level and a warning for the public to take action in adverse weather.

The IMD said in a bulletin that as per the prevailing meteorological conditions, cold day to severe cold day conditions in many pockets are very likely till Sunday over Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, north Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh with some improvements on Sunday with cold day to severe cold day conditions at some pockets in these areas.