The lowest minimum temperature of 3.6 degrees Celsius was recorded in Delhi on Saturday. The India Meteorological Department forecasted dense fog in various parts of northern India including isolated pockets of Punjab, Delhi, northwest Rajasthan, Bihar and Assam.
“Minimum temperatures are in the range of 3-7°C over most parts of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, north Madhya Pradesh and in some parts Rajasthan and in isolated pockets of Bihar; in the range of 8-10°C over many Parts of south Rajasthan,” IMD said.
On Friday, the national capital had recorded a minimum temperature of 3.9 degrees Celsius, the lowest in five years. The maximum temperature on Saturday is likely to settle around 19 degrees Celsius, the IMD said. The dense fog affected visibility in many parts of the National Capital Region. “The visibility at Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi's main weather station, was 200 metres at 5.30am,” IMD said.
The thick fog which blanketed several parts of the city affected the operations of Delhi Airport and Delhi-bound trains got delayed. IMD said the general visibility at IGI Airport was 350 metres with runway visibility recorded between 800 metres to 1000 metres.
According to the Railways, 18 Delhi-bound trains were delayed by one to six hours due to the fog. According to the IMD, very dense fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, between 51 and 200 metres dense, between 201 and 500 metres moderate, and between 501 and 1,000 metres shallow.
Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 368 at 11am, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. An AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 and 100 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 'moderate', 201 and 300 'poor', 301 and 400 'very poor', and 401 and 500 'severe'.
-with PTI inputs.
