New Delhi: Delhi continued to remain in the grip of dense fog and cold wave conditions on Tuesday, with air quality staying in the ‘poor’ category for the second consecutive day. The worsening winter conditions prompted airlines to issue advisories, cautioning passengers about possible flight delays due to low visibility.
According to data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s Sameer app, the city’s Air Quality Index stood at 286 on Tuesday, slightly higher than Monday’s reading of 244. Out of 40 air quality monitoring stations in the national capital, 19 recorded ‘very poor’ air quality levels. East Delhi’s Anand Vihar emerged as the most polluted area, registering an AQI of 343.
The India Meteorological Department said Delhi and large parts of northwest India are likely to witness a further drop in minimum temperatures by 2 to 3 degrees Celsius over the next four days. Central and eastern India may also see a similar temperature decline over the next two days.
On Monday, the maximum temperature in Delhi settled at 18.5 degrees Celsius, nearly one degree below the seasonal average. The minimum temperature was recorded at 6.6 degrees Celsius, marginally below normal. Station-wise data showed Safdarjung recorded a maximum of 18 degrees Celsius, while Palam registered 15.3 degrees Celsius. Lodhi Road, Ridge and Ayanagar recorded maximum temperatures of 17.8, 17.7 and 17 degrees Celsius respectively.
Minimum temperatures varied across the city, with Safdarjung recording 6.6 degrees Celsius, Palam 7 degrees, Lodhi Road 7.2 degrees, Ridge 8.4 degrees and Ayanagar the coldest at 5.4 degrees Celsius. The IMD has forecast a minimum temperature of around 7 degrees Celsius and a maximum near 19 degrees Celsius for Tuesday, with moderate fog likely during the morning hours.
The Air Quality Early Warning System has predicted a brief improvement, with air quality expected to shift to the ‘moderate’ category on Tuesday. However, conditions may deteriorate again to ‘poor’ levels on January 7 and 8 and remain in the ‘poor’ to ‘very poor’ range over the following days.
Amid the deteriorating weather, airlines issued fog advisories. Budget carrier IndiGo said low visibility due to fog was affecting operations at airports including Delhi, Amritsar, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Guwahati, Varanasi, Ranchi and Hindon in Ghaziabad. The airline advised passengers to check flight status regularly through its website or mobile app.
SpiceJet also warned that departure and arrival flights could be impacted due to adverse weather conditions, particularly in Himachal Pradesh’s Dharamshala. Passengers were asked to stay updated on their flight schedules.
The IMD has forecast dense to very dense fog in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh till January 10, while parts of Uttar Pradesh and east Madhya Pradesh may experience similar conditions till January 8. Dense fog is also expected in parts of Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, West Bengal, Odisha and the Northeast over the coming days.
Cold wave conditions are likely to persist in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh till January 9, Rajasthan till January 10, Chhattisgarh till January 8 and Jharkhand till January 7, the weather department said.
Meanwhile, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha announced the closure of all schools in the state from January 6 to January 10 due to severe cold wave conditions. The IMD noted that minimum temperatures in Tripura have fallen 4 to 6 degrees below normal, with shallow to moderate fog expected during night and early morning hours.
With winter conditions intensifying across northern and eastern India, authorities have urged citizens to take precautions, particularly vulnerable groups such as children and the elderly, while travellers have been advised to plan journeys carefully amid fog-related disruptions.