Fog blankets Delhi; flights, trains delayed due to low visibility

Cold weather conditions along with moderate fog prevailed in many regions of the Delhi-NCR on Saturday.

The minimum temperature recorded in the national capital was 10.7 degrees Celsius.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for dense fog in North India.

"Dense Fog Advisory for Punjab, Haryana, Delhi Uttar Pradesh, north Rajasthan and north Madhya Pradesh: Be careful while driving or outing through any transport. Use fog lights while driving. Be in touch with airlines, railways, and state transport for your journey schedule," IMD said in a post on X.

The IMD warned of 'difficult driving conditions with slower journey times' and diversion in airports, highways and railway routes.

Meanwhile, passengers travelling to and from the national capital also faced difficulties due to the fog conditions. Flights and trains continued to be delayed and diverted due to low visibility.As per sources, around 80 flights were reported delayed due to weather conditions at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi on Saturday till 8.30 am.

"Our flight has been delayed by two hours due to the fog and weather conditions," said a passenger travelling from Delhi to Sikkim.

Auto and cab drivers said that the fog was slightly better today as compared to yesterday.

"The fog conditions today are a bit better as compared to yesterday. The other day it took me two hrs to cover a forty-minute route." said a cab driver.

As per a report of the IMD, the visibility recorded at 17:30 pm on Saturday was, "Pantnagar-200; Punjab: Ludhiana-200; Haryana: Bhivani-500; Delhi: Safdarjung-500; UP: Bareilly, Bahraich and Prayagraj-200 each, Aligarh, Lucknow, Gorakhpur, Fursatganj, Babatpur & Sultanpur-500 each".

The visibility at Rajasthan's Ganganagar was 500, Bihar's Gaya was 200, Muzaffarpur and Patna 500 each, and Assam's Haflong was 200, the IMD added.

Meanwhile, amid harsh weather conditions across the Delhi-NCR, preparations for the Republic Day parade were in full swing at the Kartavya Path in the national capital.