Large parts of north India woke up to dense fog on Saturday as cold weather tightened its grip, sharply reducing visibility across several states including Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. The weather conditions disrupted road and air travel in many areas, prompting advisories from aviation authorities and airlines.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said dense fog was reported “at most places over Punjab, at a few places over West Uttar Pradesh, at isolated places over East Uttar Pradesh and Haryana Chandigarh & Delhi”.
In the national capital, dense smog persisted through the morning hours in areas such as Rao Tula Ram Marg, Akshardham, Sarai Kale Khan and Bhairav Marg.
In a detailed forecast, the weather office warned: “Dense fog conditions during night/morning hours very likely at isolated pockets of northeast India till morning hours of 24th December."
According to the met department, the condition is likely over Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and north Odisha till morning hours of 21st December. In Haryana, Chandigarh, West Uttar Pradesh from 21st to 23rd December. In Bihar on 21st and 22nd December; over Uttarakhand and Punjab on 23rd and over east Uttar Pradesh on 22nd and 23rd.
In its daily bulletin for the national capital, the IMD said Delhi is likely to see a partly cloudy sky, with shallow fog at many places and moderate fog at a few locations till the forenoon. It added that shallow to moderate fog is also expected during night and early morning hours.
The department said Palam reported the lowest visibility of 350 metres from 4 am onwards, while Safdarjung recorded visibility as low as 200 metres from 3 am. Moderate to dense fog persisted at both stations over the past 24 hours.
Minimum temperatures in Delhi dropped by 1–3 degrees Celsius, while maximum temperatures fell by 4–6 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature ranged between 6–8 degrees Celsius, and the maximum stayed between 18–20 degrees Celsius, according to IMD.
Alongside fog, Delhi’s air quality deteriorated further on Saturday morning. The city recorded an overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of 384 at 8 am, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). This marked a deterioration from Friday, when the AQI stood at 374 in the afternoon.
Several parts of the capital, including Anand Vihar, Chandni Chowk, Dwarka Sector 8 and Jahangirpuri, slipped into the ‘severe’ category, with AQI levels crossing 400.
A total of 66 arriving and 63 departing flights were cancelled on the day at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, according to the airport authorities.
Flight operations at Jaisalmer Airport were also impacted by dense fog, with airlines directed to strictly follow passenger facilitation norms in the interest of safety and convenience, reported ANI.
The Airports Authority of India (AAI) issued a weather advisory warning that reduced visibility across parts of northern India could affect flight operations.
In a post on X, AAI said, “Reduced visibility due to fog across parts of Northern India may impact flight operations at select airports, leading to possible delays or disruptions."
The AAI urged passengers to stay in “regular contact with their respective airlines for real-time flight updates” and allow extra time for travel and airport formalities.
It also added, “To ensure passenger convenience, AAI has deployed dedicated passenger facilitation teams at airports to provide assistance and support.”
Amid persistent fog, low-visibility procedures were implemented at major airports, including Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport, reported news agency ANI.
Domestic carrier IndiGo also issued a travel advisory, warning of possible disruptions to flights operating to and from Ranchi, Jammu and Hindon due to low visibility. The airline said it was closely monitoring weather conditions and urged passengers to stay informed.
Another IMD bulletin said rainfall and snowfall are “very likely” over the Western Himalayan region over the next four days.
It added that heavy rainfall or snowfall is likely at isolated places over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad on December 21, while Punjab may see isolated rainfall between December 20 and 22.
It further added, “Dense to very dense fog conditions during night/morning hours very likely at many places over Punjab, jammu division till morning hours of 20th December, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh, West Uttar Pradesh, north Madhya Pradesh & Bihar till morning hours of 21st December, East Uttar Pradesh till morning hours of 22nd December and at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana & Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh on 24th & 25th December.”
