Shallow fog seen in parts of north India; IMD predicts rainfall in Delhi

A layer of shallow fog was witnessed in several parts of northern India on Sunday morning, with the Indian Meteorological Department predicting light to moderate rain at several places over the next two days in Delhi, Haryana, and Chandigarh.

The minimum temperature in Delhi today is likely to hover around 9 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature at 27 degrees Celsius today, said IMD, adding a partly cloudy weather for the day.

Visuals showed light fog at Kartavya Path in the National Capital.

While a thick layer of dense fog engulfed parts of Bhubaneswar on Sunday morning.

Dense fog was also reported in Rajpura city, in the Patiala district of Punjab. Shivnath, a driver, complained that dense fog is leading to traffic jams.

"We are facing problems driving amid the dense fog. I have to remove the fog from the windscreen repeatedly," he told ANI.

Amit Kumar, a driver on his way to Basantpura village in Punjab from Haryana, complained that visibility was near zero due to fog.

"We are driving slowly. The fog on the windscreen has to be removed repeatedly," he told ANI.

Dense fog conditions were also reported in the West Bengals' Hooghly district on Sunday morning.

In Jammu and Kashmir, reacting to a three-day MeT alert for snowfall in the valley, Divisional Commissioner Kashmir Vijay Kumar Bidhuri told ANI, "We were eagerly waiting for snowfall...In the last spell, the administration worked well... This time it's a three-day alert..."

"Since the Public Works Department has been restructured, everything is decentralised now, and hence our strength has also increased... Now we clean the roads as soon as the snowfall stops. A Record number of tourists are coming... Preparations are almost complete for the Khelo India games which are going to be held in Gulmarg," DC Bidhuri added.

As per the 2-day IMD forecast, "Light to moderate rain accompanied with thunderstorm & lightning with gusty winds (40-50 kmph) at many places on February 19 and 20 in Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi. Hailstorms at isolated places likely over Haryana on February 19 and 20".

It also predicted heavy rainfall very likely at isolated places over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh on February 18 and 20, and over Uttarakhand on February 19 and 20.

Meanwhile, the Air Quality Index in the National Capital was recorded at 262, which falls in the 'poor' category.