Cold wave persists in north India; flights cancelled, trains delayed; schools shut

Dense to very dense fog enveloped Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, and Eastern Uttar Pradesh on Tuesday leading to cold wave to severe cold wave conditions across most parts of Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, as reported by the Meteorological Department.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) classification, ‘very dense’ fog occurs when visibility ranges from 0 to 50 meters, ‘dense’ fog is between 51 and 200 meters, ‘moderate’ is within 201 and 500 meters, and ‘shallow’ fog is in the range of 501 to 1,000 meters.

Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions persisted across numerous parts of Punjab, East Madhya Pradesh, northwest Rajasthan, and West Uttar Pradesh.

Temperature readings were recorded below normal (-1.6 degrees Celsius to -3 degrees Celsius) in many locations across Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, Karnataka, Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, with near-normal temperatures observed in other regions of the country.

Weather forecast for next few days
The Meteorological Department forecasts a gradual rise of 2-3 degrees Celsius in minimum temperatures likely over Northwest India in the next four to five days. A rise by 3-4 degree Celsius in minimum temperatures is anticipated over East India during the same period.

Cold-day conditions are expected in a few pockets over Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, The IMD predicted that dense to very dense fog is likely at a few places over Punjab, Haryana Chandigarh-Delhi, with dense fog in a few places over Bihar, and isolated areas in Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, and Sikkim on January 17.

For January 18, dense fog is likely in a few pockets over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand, with cold wave conditions anticipated in isolated places over Rajasthan.

On January 19 and 20, dense fog is likely in a few pockets over Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, and isolated areas in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Jharkhand.

Dense fog across North India
At 8:30 am, Ayanagar and Safdarjung in the national capital recorded visibility at 25 meters each, while Ridge and Palam areas reported visibility at 50 meters each.

Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh reported zero meters visibility at 5:30 am, and Lucknow, the state capital, recorded 25 meters of visibility. Gwalior in West Madhya Pradesh reported a visibility of 50 meters.

Dense fog persisted over West Rajasthan, with Ganganagar reporting a visibility of 50 meters. In Bihar, Gaya and Purnea stations recorded a visibility of 200 meters in dense fog. East Madhya Pradesh reported dense fog, with Khajuraho, Satna, and Rewa stations each registering a visibility of 50 meters at 8:30 am.

Jammu Division reported dense fog with a visibility of 50 meters at Jammu airport, and Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim also experienced dense fog.

Flights and trains affected
Airport authorities reported delays for approximately 30 flights departing from Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, while 17 flights were cancelled due to adverse weather conditions.

This morning, the Delhi airport issued an advisory, stating, “Low visibility procedures are currently in effect at Delhi airport. Presently, all flight operations are normal. Passengers are urged to contact their respective airlines for the latest flight information.”

As a result of low visibility caused by fog, a total of 30 trains bound for Delhi experienced delays.

Schools closed
An official order from the district magistrate has declared the closure of all schools in Patna for students up to class 8 until Saturday, January 20, due to the prevailing cold weather conditions in the capital city of Bihar. For classes 9th to 12th, regular sessions will be held from 9 am to 3:30 pm as per the schedule, with no educational activities permitted beyond 3:30 pm.

As per an official order issued by the district’s Basic Education Officer, all schools in Gautam Buddha Nagar were to remain shut for students up to class 8 until Tuesday, January 16.

On Sunday, the Punjab government announced the extension of the closure for primary schools until January 21. Nonetheless, schools for other classes will resume normal operations starting January 15. However, classes 6 to 12 opened from January 15, with operating hours scheduled from 10 am to 3 pm.