New Delhi : Several states in North India, including Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab, faced severe coldwave conditions on Friday, impacting both train and flight services.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported very dense fog in isolated areas over Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh, and East Madhya Pradesh. Fog also blanketed some regions in Rajasthan, East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jammu, West Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, and Delhi. The harsh daytime cold conditions are expected to persist for the next two days.
The fog significantly affected visibility in these states, with readings as low as 25 meters in Ambala (Haryana), Bareilly (West Uttar Pradesh), and Sagar (East Madhya Pradesh). In Delhi’s Palam and Amritsar in Punjab, visibility was recorded at 50 meters.
IndiGo Airlines announced disruptions in flight operations to and from Jaipur, Patna, and Amritsar due to adverse weather conditions. Additionally, several trains scheduled to arrive at Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station were delayed due to dense fog.
On Thursday, maximum temperatures remained in the range of 12-18 degrees Celsius, several degrees below the normal seasonal average. The persistent low cloud cover and the absence of sunlight in the region have led to this cold spell. A “cold day” is declared when the maximum temperature falls between 4.5-6.4 degrees below the normal seasonal average, while a “severe cold day” is declared when temperatures drop 6.5 degrees below normal.
However, the minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to rise by 2-4 degrees starting Sunday, influenced by warm and moist southwesterly winds, according to the weather office. Parts of Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, southern Haryana, and southern Uttar Pradesh are anticipated to experience light to very light rainfall early next week. The weather department has also forecast dense to very dense fog in some parts of Punjab, Haryana, and North Rajasthan.
