Fog makes comeback, 50 trains late

New Delhi: Moderate fog made a comeback on Friday after Delhiites woke up to a cold morning with minimum temperature settling at 7.8° C affecting rail, road, and air traffic due to poor visibility.

With over 50 trains running behind schedule by several hours, 28 trains were rescheduled, while at least six trains were cancelled due to dense fog on Friday. The national capital was covered under moderate fog in several parts throughout the day which affected visibility.

According to railway officials, trains like Brahmputra Express was running late by over 24 hours, Swatantrata Senani Express was said to be running late by over 27 hours, and Shaheed Express was delayed by over 15 hours, thereby adding chaos at railway stations. According to the officials at Indira Gandhi International Airport, the flight operations remained normal. However, at least three international flights were delayed whereas one domestic flight from/to Delhi was cancelled due to fog. The India Metrological Department (IMD) has predicted mainly a clear sky for tomorrow with the likelihood of moderate to dense fog in some areas and very dense fog at one or two places. Humidity recorded at 8.30 am was 91 per cent, and the maximum temperature of the day was likely to hover around 24° C. The humidity oscillated between 97 and 48 per cent.

The visibility at Safdarjung and Palam was recorded at 300 metres and 400 metres respectively at 5.30 am. It further dipped to 200 metres and 150 metres respectively at 7.30 am but settled at 400 metres at 8.30 am. “The sky will remain clear throughout the day with moderate to dense fog to occur in the morning,” added an IMD official. The minimum temperature yesterday was recorded at 7.5° C and the maximum was 24.3° C. According to weather officials, shallow to moderate fog was observed in parts of Delhi and NCR region and is expected to make a comeback soon, so much so that within the next 24 hours, the city could witness foggy mornings once again. These conditions will be attributed to the change in the wind pattern from westerly to easterly.