Delhi-NCR, Punjab and other parts of North India continue to remain under dense fog cover, which disrupted flight and train operations and led to road mishaps as well. India Meteorological Department has predicted dense fog over Delhi and parts of North India till New Year.
Delhi, Noida, Ghaziabad, parts of Punjab and Haryana were among the places that on Wednesday woke up to dense fog, which led to zero visibility in some areas. The blanket of haze continued to cover Delhi-NCR throughout the day with visibility dropping again in the evening.
At least 134 flights, both domestic and international departure and arrivals, are facing delays today at Delhi airport due to bad weather conditions.
Latest Weather Updates
-135 Flights Delayed at Delhi Airport: Delhi Airport is facing delays affecting approximately 134 flights, both (domestic and international) arrivals and departures, due to dense fog, as per airport's Flight Information Display System (FIDS) system. At least 22 trains are also running late due to low visibility amid dense fog.
On Wednesday, over 110 flights were affected at the Delhi airport and 25 trains headed to the national capital were also delayed due to dense fog. One Delhi-bound Vistara flight was diverted to Indore in the night as well due to bad weather at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport.
Dense Fog in Delhi Expected Till New Year Eve: Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Haryana and other parts of North India continue to covered in dense fog on Thursday. The Met has predicted "very dense fog" for late night and morning hours till New Year's Eve in Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, and Haryana. In Delhi, minimum temperature settled at 8.4 degrees Celsius on Thursday, one notch above the season's average while maximum is expected to stand at around 21 degrees Celsius.
A thick blanket of fog remains over many parts of Punjab and Haryana, leading to low visibility. Punjab’s Bathinda on Wednesday recorded a low of 6.2 deg Celsius, while Ludhiana recorded a minimum temperature of 5.2 degrees Celsius. Amritsar recorded a low of 8.6 degrees Celsius with Patiala at 8.8 degrees Celsius and Pathankot at 7.2 degrees Celsius.
In Haryana, Ambala recorded a minimum temperature of 6.9 degrees Celsius while Narnaul's minimum settled at 6.5 degrees Celsius. Hisar recorded a minimum temperature of 7.8 degrees Celsius and Chandigarh recorded a low of 8.2 degrees Celsius.
Road Accidents Kill 8 in UP: At least eight persons were killed and 30 others injured in separate road mishaps in various parts of Uttar Pradesh due to dense fog that dipped visibility to nil from Tuesday night to Wednesday morning.
-In Bareilly district's Hafiz Ganj, two women were killed and a man injured when the motorcycle they were travelling on was hit by a tractor.
In another bike-related incident, two men in their 20s were killed when the two-wheeler they were on was hit by a dumper truck near the toll plaza in an area under the Handiya Police Station of Prayagraj district.
In Unnao, a man was killed and at least 15 others injured in a pile-up of three buses, one container truck and two cars on the Agra-Lucknow expressway last night.
In Baghpat district of western Uttar Pradesh, two women were killed and 11 others injured when the van they were travelling in hit a truck in an area under the Khekra Police Station.
In Agra, around a dozen vehicles piled up on a national highway, leading to the death of one person and injuries to six others.
Locals Flee with Chickens From Fatal Road Accident: While a fatal accident in Uttar Pradesh's Agra led to the death of a man and left six others injured, passersby saw it as an opportunity to steal chickens from a pickup truck that was involved in the road mishap.
Videos purporting to show some men taking the chickens from the pickup truck, which was involved in the pileup, and fleeing on two-wheelers and on foot also surfaced on social media.
The accident took place on Shahdara Bridge in the Trans-Yamuna area due to fog. "Some of the chickens on a pickup also died in the accident. The owner of the poultry reached the spot and witnessed the episode," an official added.
-Snowfall Likely in Hills of Himachal Pradesh Around New Year: Witnessing dry cold for the last two weeks, Himachal Pradesh may witness a wet spell in the mid and higher hills around New Year as the meteorological department has predicted light rainfall at isolated places in the mid hills and light rainfall or snow in the higher hills from December 30 to January 1.
A fresh Western Disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from December 30, with likelihood of rain or snowfall from December 30 to January 1 in the mid and higher hills, however, the weather would remain dry in the lower hills and plains from December 28 to January 2, the MeT office said.
