Dense fog blanks out North Indian belt

New Delhi: Dense fog shrouded the national capital and vast swathes of North India on Tuesday morning, significantly impacting visibility and throwing flight and train services out of gear.

Very dense fog was reported in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Northwest Rajasthan, and eastern Uttar Pradesh, read a post on the official X handle of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

According to data shared by the IMD, Amritsar and Patiala in Punjab; Ambala in Haryana; Ganganagar in Northwest Rajasthan, and Varanasi in eastern Uttar Pradesh were severely affected by thick fog, with the visibility reduced to 25 metres as of 5.30 am on Tuesday.

A bitter cold brought on by a sharp dip in the minimum temperature across the North Indian belt compounded the woes of commuters already affected by poor visibility. The bone-chilling cold also affected and disrupted daily life across states.

According to the IMD, the minimum temperature in Amritsar was recorded at 7.4 degrees Celsius at 5.30 am while Sri-Ganganagar in Rajasthan, Varanasi, and Patiala recorded minimum temperatures in the range of 9 degrees Celsius to 11 degrees Celsius. Dense fog also blanketed isolated pockets of Delhi and Bihar.

Delhi's Palam and Safdarjung areas recorded visibility at just 50 metres while the minimum temperature in the national capital was recorded at 11.4 degrees Celsius at 5.30 am with a light drizzle adding to the chill in pockets of the city's south-west.

Across the national capital, people on the streets were pictured huddling around bonfires while commuters struggled in the face of the biting chill and poor visibility. The minimum temperature at Patna in neighbouring Bihar was recorded at 10 degrees Celsius at 5.30 am, according to the IMD.

Meanwhile, moderate fog was observed in isolated pockets of western Uttar Pradesh, with Bareilly reporting visibility at 200 metres and the minimum temperature at 9.2 degrees Celsius as of 5.30 am. Madhya Pradesh, too, reported shallow fog and visibility issues. Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh reported visibility at 500 metres.

(ANI)