Dense fog hits rail, flight operations

Dense foggy conditions prevailed in the national Capital on Friday leading to poor visibility and adversely affecting the rail and flight operations here.

The maximum temperature was recorded at 21.4 degrees Celsius, two notches above the normal while the minimum settled at 12.5 degrees Celsius, five notches above the season’s average, said a Met department official. A thick blanket of fog enveloped many parts of the city as the visibility dropped to zero at 8.30 am and increased to 200 meters at 11.30 am.

It was recorded at 900 meters at 2.30 pm and improved to 1,000 meters at 5.30 pm, the official said.

More than 20 trains were canceled and around 60 Delhi-bound trains, including the Rajdhani Express were running late owing to dense foggy conditions in Delhi.

Several trains like Seemanchal Express, Mahabodhi Express as well as the Rajdhani trains coming from Sealdah, Howrah and Patna were late by several hours, causing inconvenience to passengers.

A senior Northern Railway official said that 23 trains were canceled on Friday, adding that 15 trains among them will remain canceled till February end keeping the impending foggy weather in mind.

The departure of 24 trains, including Kathgodam Shatabdi, Kanpur Shatabdi, Ajmer Shatabdi and Kota Janshatabdi was rescheduled due to the bad weather.

The official added that the frequencies of about 450 trains have been reduced during this period.

Five flights were on Friday disrupted with at least three diverted due to heavy fog at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here. The humidity in the air oscillated between 100 and 52 per cent.

The Met office has predicted mainly clear skies for on Saturday.

“The skies will be mainly clear. Moderate to dense fog may occur in the morning. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover at 23 degrees Celsius and 8 degrees Celsius respectively,” the official said.

On Thursday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 11.5 degrees Celsius while the maximum was recorded at 24.7 degrees Celsius in the city.