Severe cold wave and dense fog have disrupted normal life across North India, reducing visibility to near zero in several regions. Air and rail services were badly affected, with hundreds of flights canceled or delayed and over 100 trains running late.
Over 600 Flights, 100 Trains Affected Amid Severe Winter Conditions
New Delhi: The cold wave continues to intensify across North India. Dense fog has reduced visibility to near zero in many areas, severely impacting daily life as well as air and rail traffic. The Meteorological Department has warned that temperatures may drop further in the coming days.
Around 600 flights across the country were affected due to dense fog. At Delhi airport alone, 128 flights were canceled, including 64 arrivals and 64 departures. In addition, eight flights were diverted to other cities. Approximately 470 flights were delayed, with an average delay of 20 to 25 minutes.
Weather Update: IMD issues cold day and cold wave alert across North India
India's leading airline, IndiGo, canceled 118 flights due to bad weather and operational reasons. Most of these cancellations were due to fog. Besides Delhi, flight services were affected at several airports including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Dehradun, Patna, and Bhopal. The airline has advised passengers to check their flight status before traveling.
Dense fog also significantly impacted rail services. More than 100 trains, including Rajdhani, Tejas, and Superfast trains, were affected. Many trains ran 8 to 16 hours late. Major trains like the New Delhi-Howrah, Sealdah, and Rajendra Nagar Rajdhani trains reached their destinations considerably late, causing immense hardship to passengers in the biting cold.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has declared the period from December 10th to February 10th as the official fog season. Category-III navigation systems have been implemented at Delhi airport to allow aircraft to land even in foggy conditions, although delays are still possible.
Weather: Dense fog blankets hills to plains; Cold wave hits several North Indian cities
According to the Meteorological Department, dense fog will prevail in Delhi and surrounding areas for the next few days. Light rain is expected on January 1st due to an active Western Disturbance over the Himalayan region. The daytime temperature may drop by 4-5 degrees Celsius below normal on Tuesday, and a cold day alert has been issued for several districts.
