New Delhi, Jan 3 (IANS) Residents of the national capital woke up to a chilly morning with the minimum temperature recorded at 8 degrees Celsius, two notches below the normal, while visibility remained poor in many parts of Delhi due to thick fog, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD has predicted cold wave conditions over the northern states for the next few days, while dense to very dense fog is also expected over the plains in northwest India in the same period.
Due to the cold wave and foggy conditions, visibility in many areas in the national capital remained poor on Tuesday.
Around 21 Delhi-bound trains were reported to be running late owing to the poor visibility.
The low visibility procedure was also initiated at Indira Gandhi International Airport on the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday due to heavy fog.
At least 12 flights have been delayed.
Meanwhile, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in the national capital was recorded at 348 under the “very poor” category.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good; 51 and 100 satisfactory; 101 and 200 moderate; 201 and 300 poor; 301 and 400 very poor; and 401 and 500 severe.
“For the next 3 days, surface wind speed (Calm to 12 km/h) and temperature (Max 19-18 deg C; Min 6-4 deg C) are likely to worsen air quality. Mixing layer height is likely to be 1.0 km that helps dilution of pollutants,” said System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting and Research.
–IANS
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