Cold wave grips Delhi, 11 trains delayed

The national capital woke up to a blanket of thick fog on Saturday, with train schedules hampered owing to the onset of winter.

Due to the fog, around 11 Delhi-bound trains including Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express and Malda-Delhi Farakka Express were delayed by two to five hours, the Indian Railways confirmed.

Furthermore, air quality in the national capital remained in 'very poor' category with major pollutants PM 10 at 335 and PM 2.5 at 190, according to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

"Take more breaks and do less intense activities. Asthematics, keep medicine ready if symptoms of coughing or shortness of breath occur. Heart patients, see a doctor, if get palpitations, shortness of breath, or unusual fatigue," SAFAR stated in its advisory.

As per India Meteorological Department (MeT), the minimum temperature in Delhi was 9 degrees Celsius, while maximum temperature is expected to hover around 21 degree Celsius. There is a possibility of light rain and thunderstorm towards the night, the MeT said.

A fresh western disturbance (WD) is likely to bring heavy snow and rains in the Western Himalayan region, including Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh from Sunday night to January 15.

The minimum temperature in Jammu and Kashmir's Gulmarg, Srinagar and Pahalgam and Himachal Pradesh varies from minus 0 to 8 degree Celsius.

Apart from Jammu and Kashmir, the WD as an upper air cyclonic circulation will extend up to 0.9 Km above mean sea level over Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka.