Flights affected as dense fog engulfs north India. What IMD forecasts

Dense fog shrouded most parts of north India for the second consecutive day, causing temperatures to dip and affected flights and train services.

Delhi International Airport Ltd, in a post on X, said that due to dense fog, flight operations have been affected at the airport. IndiGo has temporarily put departures and arrivals on hold, and added flights may still witness delays due to airside congestion even after resumption.

Air India, too, said poor visibility due to dense fog has affected flight operations in Delhi and parts of northern India.

On Friday, more than 400 flights were delayed due to bad weather conditions at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI).

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast dense to very dense fog in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and at places in Punjab and Haryana. The current general visibility at the IGI airport is zero, according to the IMD.

Delhi recorded 10.2 degrees Celsius at 5.30am on Saturday, according to the IMD. Delhi’s air quality continued in the 'very poor' category—the 24-hour average AQI was recorded at 371. Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III has been invoked, which restricts construction, demolition and mining activities, driving BS-III petrol and BS-IV diesel cars, and promotes online classes for primary school students, staggered timings for public offices and municipal bodies in Delhi and NCR districts.

Road traffic in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Haryana was severely affected as vehicles struggled to move through the thick fog cover. In Lucknow, the temperature was recorded at 11.4 degrees Celsius at 5.30am on Saturday. Rain and snowfall are expected in the central Himalayan region on January 6, with a possibility of rain and thundershowers in Punjab and Haryana.