New Delhi was enveloped by a dense cloak of fog early Wednesday morning, which significantly reduced visibility and led to the delay of over 50 flights at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport. The thick fog conditions created a challenging environment for air travel, with flights not equipped with CAT III technology being affected the most. Passengers were advised proactively to get in touch with their airlines to get the latest updates on their flight schedules as the airport sought to manage the inclement weather-induced disruptions with apologies for any inconvenience caused.
In the wake of the fog’s impact on transportation, the city’s roads also witnessed hampered visibility, making vehicular movement difficult. The cold wave sweeping over the region intensified as Delhi experienced its coldest January in nearly two decades in terms of daytime temperatures, with the mean maximum temperature being recorded at a frigid 17.9 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung. This matched temperatures recorded in January of 2015 and was noted as the lowest since 2003. The chill spurred residents to gather around bonfires for warmth, with the low temperatures influencing people’s comfort and daily travel.
The India Meteorological Department had forecasted dense to very dense fog conditions over scattered areas of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi for Wednesday and Friday, warning of dense fog patches also likely to occur on Saturday. Images from various parts of the national capital showed the dense fog, including visuals from Kartavya Path at 5:40 am on January 31, 2024, underscoring the severity of the situation. This fog not only ensnared flights but also affected train schedules, leading to delays, and left many residents of areas like the Red Fort complaining about erratic public transport services. A local shopkeeper expressed the impact of the weather on business, noting the drop in customer visits due to the challenging fog conditions.
The situation on Tuesday was no different, with North India’s many regions including the national capital under a thick blanket of fog, leading to disrupted flight and train operations. Very dense fog was reported in isolated pockets across Punjab, Haryana, Northwest Rajasthan, and eastern Uttar Pradesh. These weather conditions brought about considerable delays in flight operations at Delhi airport, thus creating a continued streak of challenges for the traveling public.