Fog disrupts air traffic, departure of at least 27 flights delayed

Kolkata: Winter seems to be eluding the state even in the first week of December with no major drop in the mercury predicted in the next 48 hours, however, people in various districts woke up to a foggy morning on Tuesday.

The Regional Meteorological centre in Alipore said that there will be morning mists in some districts while the temperature will be comparatively lower during the night hours. Due to a thick fog, the visibility dropped below 200 meters at various places on Tuesday morning.

Sources informed that 27 flights scheduled to take off from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International (NSCBI) Airport in Kolkata between 4:30 and 9:30 am were delayed due to low visibility. Five flights which were arriving in Kolkata were also delayed whereas one city bound flight was diverted.

According to the weather office, there will be thick morning mist in Birbhum, Murshidabad, Nadia and some other South Bengal districts as well. Fog alert has been issued to North Dinajpur, South Dinajpur and Malda. The city registered its lowest temperature at 18.4 on Tuesday which is 3 degree above normal while the highest temperature hovered around 30 degree Celsius.

The northern wind that carries cold air to the South Bengal districts has been interrupted by the Western disturbances preventing people from feeling the winter chill. Two weeks ago, the lowest temperature had almost touched 16 degrees in various districts, before it suddenly started climbing.

"The city's temperature is unusually higher during this time of the year compared to the previous years. This has been caused due to the impact of western disturbances. The highest temperature in the city has been hovering around 30 degree Celsius, while the lowest temperature remains around 18 degree Celsius," a weather official said.