As Delhi continues to reel under severe cold wave conditions, the weather station at Ayanangar recorded a minimum of 1.8 degrees celsius on Friday.
As of 5.30 am on Saturday morning, the temperature at Palam was recorded at 5 degrees Celsius against 7 degrees yesterday, whereas the mercury dipped to 6.2 degrees Celsius in Safdarjung, the official weather station in the capital.
Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan also continued to grapple with the cold conditions while there was some respite in Kashmir as the minimum temperature improved slightly even as the Valley braces for a possible wet weather spell from Saturday.
The Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, logged a minimum temperature of four degrees Celsius, which was lower than that of Dalhousie (8.7 degrees Celsius), Dharamsala (5.4 degrees), Shimla (6.2 degrees), Dehradun (4.4 degrees), Mussoorie (6.4 degrees) and Nainital (6.5 degrees).
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A dense layer of fog persisted over northwest India, and adjoining central and eastern parts of the country, hitting road, rail and air traffic movement
Advisory issued by Delhi Airport
Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) on Saturday issued a passenger advisory as a thick layer of smog engulfed the national capital, resulting in low visibility.
"Low visibility procedures are in progress at Delhi airport. All flight operations are presently normal. Passengers are requested to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information," informed the Delhi airport Twitter handle.
The official Twitter handle of Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA) urged passengers to check for updated flight information before heading for the airport.
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Bad weather conditions delayed around 30 flights at the Indira Gandhi International Airport and at least 26 trains reaching Delhi, officials said.
Visibility issues increasing acroos the northwestern region
The Palam observatory, near the IGI Airport, recorded a visibility level of 200 metres at 5.30 am.
Besides Delhi, the ongoing coldwave conditions also intensified over other parts of the country, leading to foggy conditions, further affecting visibility.4
As of 5.30 am on Saturday, the visibility was recorded below 200m in most parts of the country.
The visibility dropped to 25m in Jammu, Patiala, Haryana's Ambala, Rajasthan's Churu while it was recorded at 50m in Lucknow, MP's Satna, Tripura's Kailashahar.
The visibility was 0 in Bhatinda and Agra.
According to the weather office, 'very dense' fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, 51 and 200 metres is 'dense', 201 and 500 metres 'moderate', and 501 and 1,000 metres 'shallow'.
The weather stations at Lodhi Road, Ayanagar and Ridge in Delhi recorded minimum temperatures of 3.8 degrees Celsius, 1.8 degrees and 3.3 degrees, respectively.
Besides Delhi, biting cold persists in other places as well
According to the Met department's weather report, Narnaul was the coldest place in Haryana, recording a minimum temperature of 2.5 degrees Celsius. In Punjab, Balachaur recorded a low of 3.5 degrees Celsius.
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Chandigarh, the joint capital of the two states, recorded a low of 5 degrees Celsius.
In Rajasthan, Fatehpur in Sikar recorded a minimum temperature of 0.7 degrees Celsius, followed by Churu at 1 degree, the Met office said.
In Jammu and Kashmir, Qazigund, the gateway to the Valley, registered a minimum of minus 5.8 degrees Celsius, while Kupwara, a frontier district, recorded a minimum of minus 5.6 degrees.
Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of minus 5.5 degrees Celsius.
According to a senior India Meteorological Department official, there will be some relief from the cold weather under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance, which is likely to affect northwest India starting Friday.
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In the plains, the Met office declares a cold wave if the minimum temperature dips to four degrees Celsius or when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees or below and is 4.5 notches below the normal.
A severe cold wave is when the minimum temperature dips to two degrees Celsius or the departure from the normal is more than 6.4 degrees.
A cold day is when the minimum temperature is less than or equal to 10 degrees Celsius below the normal and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees below the normal.
A severe cold day is when the maximum is 6.5 degrees Celsius or more below the normal.
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(With PTI Inputs)
