The overall air quality of the national capital remained in the “poor” category with Air Quality Index (aqi) standing at 298, on Monday morning, as compared to 291 recorded on Sunday. The AQI dipped to “very poor” category in certain parts of the city with Pusa recording the highest AQI at 343.
Large parts of the city shivered through Sunday night as cold wave conditions tightened their grip, pushing minimum temperatures dangerously close to the three-degree mark. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) Ayanagar emerged as the coldest spot in the national capital region, with the mercury dipping to 2.9 degrees Celsius.
Palam saw the temperature fall to 3.0 degrees Celsius, one of its coldest readings in recent years. Weather officials indicated that the chill is likely to linger through the day.
Safdarjung registered a low of 4.8 degrees Celsius on Sunday night, but weatherman expect it to slide further to nearly 3 degrees Celsius tonight.
Meanwhile, the Ridge observatory recorded a minimum of 3.7 degrees Celsius, with daytime temperatures peaking at 18.8 degrees Celsius.
Dense to shallow fog enveloped several parts of the city, leading to reduced visibility and disruptions across key transport corridors.
The weather office warned that foggy conditions could affect airports, highways and railway routes within the affected meteorological subdivisions, resulting in difficult driving conditions, slower travel times and an increased risk of road accidents.
The IMD also cautioned that very dense fog could lead to tripping of power lines in some areas. In addition, the prevailing conditions may aggravate respiratory ailments such as asthma and bronchitis and cause eye irritation, prompting the department to issue a set of safety and health advisories for the public.
Meanwhile, the poor visibility conditions also impacted the flight operations in several parts of the country. As per the reports, IndiGo has cancelled more than 90 flights scheduled for Monday.
In an advisory issued on X, the airlines wrote, “Travel Advisory: Low visibility and fog over Chandigarh may impact flight schedules. We are closely monitoring the weather and doing our best to get you where you need to be, safely and smoothly. We request that you stay updated on your flight status via our website or app. Please be assured that our teams are here to assist you at every step and provide full support. We look forward to clearer skies and a swift return to our regular schedule. Thank you for your patience and understanding.”
Spice Jet too issued an advisory for their flights scheduled for Monday. “Due to expected bad weather (poor visibility) in Delhi (DEL), Amritsar (ATQ), Jaipur (JAI), Leh (IXL), Srinagar (SXR), Jammu (IXJ), Dharamshala (DHM), Varanasi (VNS), Ayodhya (AYJ), Darbhanga (DBR), Patna (PAT), Bagdogra (IXB), Gorakhpur (GOP), Guwahati (GAU), Kolkata (CCU), Shillong (SHL), Shivamogga (RQY), Hyderabad (HYD), Udaipur (UDR), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might get affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status,” the post on X read.
Akasa Air also cautioned its guests on weather related uncertainities in a post on X, “Due to fog in Northern India, some flights across our network have been rescheduled. We sincerely regret the inconvenience this may cause to your travel plans and appreciate your understanding during this time.
Your comfort and care remain our priority.”
