Delhi shivers in cold wave, dense fog disrupts flight and train operations, and air quality category

Delhi shivers in cold wave: As a thin layer of fog enveloped Delhi on Monday morning, the India Meteorological Department issued a yellow alert, forecasting dense to moderate fog in the capital until Wednesday.

Several trains were delayed or cancelled on Monday due to the fog, and visibility at the Indira Gandhi International Airport dropped to 50 meters.

"Low Visibility Procedures are still in progress at Delhi Airport. However, there has been no impact on flight operations. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information," the airport stated in a post on X.

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded the minimum temperature at Delhi's Palam at 9.6 degrees Celsius on Monday (January 13, 2025), which is 2.2 degrees above the normal for this time of the year.

Adding to the challenges is the poor air quality in the national capital.

The Air Quality Index (AQI) at 9 am was recorded at 274 by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

This places the city’s air quality in the “poor” category. According to the CPCB guidelines, an AQI between 201 and 300 indicates poor air quality.

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According to the CPCB, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.

Dense fog conditions likely to continue

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), dense fog conditions are very likely in the Delhi/NCR region and an orange alert was issued regarding the same.

A fresh western disturbance will bring isolated rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning over the Delhi-NCR region, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday and Thursday, the weather body said.

It said that Jammu-Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand will receive isolated to scattered rainfall/snowfall over the next three days due to the western disturbance.

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