A tenacious cold wave accompanied by dense fog has gripped North India, affecting daily life and transportation services. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced that these severe weather conditions will prevail for the next five days with visibility concerns prompting delays at airports, including the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, and 11 trains running late due to low visibility. The cold day to severe cold day conditions are likely to persist over the region, with temperatures dropping below normal by 5-8 degrees Celsius since December 29, 2023.
In Delhi, a brief period of milder weather was observed on January 7 and 8 due to a passing western disturbance, but the bitter cold quickly returned. IMD has forecast a temperature drop over various parts of East India in the following three days, with no significant change expected thereafter. Morning temperatures in Delhi-NCR have been slightly higher due to cloud coverage, yet no substantial relief is anticipated in the minimum temperatures over most parts of north India in the next five days.
The situation in Delhi specifically is dire, as the city is continuously shrouded in fog, causing disruptions to the rail, runway, and road traffic and affecting the overall Air Quality Index (AQI), which was recorded under the ‘very poor’ category. The national capital has also received an “orange alert” due to the expected dense fog, which could mark cold to severe cold day conditions with maximum and minimum temperatures hovering around 15 and 7 degrees Celsius, respectively. Visibility at IGI airport dropped to 500 meters at 8.30 am. The overall cold and foggy weather of the week has left at least 22 trains delayed on January 19, adding to the winter struggle for commuters.
Kuldeep Srivastava, a scientist and head of the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, mentioned a marginal increase in maximum temperatures is likely next week, providing some relief during the day owing to sunshine, although mornings and evenings will remain cold. However, for the majority of January, no significant change in Delhi’s weather conditions is expected, implying the continuation of this harsh winter spell.