New Delhi: A biting cold spell continued to grip large parts of north and central India on Thursday, with temperatures dipping sharply and dense fog disrupting
daily life and transport services. In Delhi, the minimum temperature was recorded at 7.4 degrees Celsius at 5.30 am, as fog reduced visibility during the early morning hours.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said moderate to dense fog is likely to persist through the morning and forenoon hours, while cold wave conditions are expected in isolated pockets of several states. These include Himachal Pradesh, eastern Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha and Jharkhand.
For the national capital, private forecaster Skymet has predicted dry weather accompanied by a cold day. The IMD said Delhi’s daytime temperatures are likely to remain between 15 and 17 degrees Celsius, while night temperatures may range from seven to nine degrees Celsius over the coming days.
Dense fog has also affected air travel in parts of Uttar Pradesh. Low visibility conditions over Varanasi disrupted flight operations, prompting IndiGo to issue a travel advisory for passengers. The airline said adverse weather could impact flight schedules and urged travellers to check their flight status via its website or mobile application before heading to the airport. IndiGo added that it is closely monitoring conditions to ensure passenger safety.
According to the IMD, dense morning fog is expected to continue across northwest, central and northeast India for the next five to seven days. Poor visibility during early hours may affect road, rail and air transport in several regions.
Chhattisgarh’s Ambikapur records lowest minimum temperature in plains
Meanwhile, Ambikapur in Chhattisgarh recorded the lowest minimum temperature among India’s plains in the past 24 hours, with the mercury dropping to 3.3 degrees Celsius, official data showed.
The weather department has also forecast very dense fog conditions in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh between January 8 and 10, followed by dense fog from January 11 to 14. Cold day conditions are expected to persist across Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, officials said.
