• By Abhirupa Kundu
  • Sat, 16 Dec 2023 09:08 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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Delhiites on Saturday woke up to a dense layer of fog blanketing the city as the mercury dipped further. Cold gripped the national capital as temperatures went below 5 degrees Celsius for the first time on Friday. Delhi's temperature had fallen to 4.9 degrees, which was even below Shimla's minimum temperature at 6.8 degrees Celsius, officials said.

The air quality in the national capital has marginally improved with a reading of 323 on Friday, though it still remains in the "very poor" category. It was recorded at 358 on Thursday.

Meanwhile, several parts of north and northeast India experienced fog on Friday morning, affecting visibility and disrupting normal life.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), very dense fog was observed in isolated pockets over Punjab. While isolated pockets of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura witnessed shallow to moderate fog at 0530 hours on Friday.

"Fog Observed (at 0530 hours IST of today, December 15): Very dense fog observed at isolated pockets over Punjab shallow to moderate fog observed in isolated pockets of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya and Tripura," IMD said in a post on 'X'.

This morning, as Amritsar was blanketed in dense fog, people sought warmth from bonfires due to the persisting coldwave conditions.

The visibility recorded at 0530 hours IST was less than or equal to 500 metres in many places. Amritsar in Punjab reported zero visibility, while Patiala had 500 metres of visibility. In Uttar Pradesh's Ghoorpur, visibility was recorded at 200 metres, while Lucknow and Varanasi had 500 metres of visibility each. Purnea in Bihar and Guwahati in Assam and Meghalaya also reported 200 metres of visibility, while Kailashahar in Tripura had 500 metres of visibility.

"Visibility recorded (at 0530 hours IST of today, 15th Dec) (<=500 metres): Punjab: Amritsar-0, Pataila-500; Uttar Pradesh: Ghoorpur-200, Lucknow & Varanasi-500 each; Bihar: Purnea-200; Assam & Meghalaya: Guwahati-200; Tripura: Kailashahar-500," the IMD said in a post on 'X'.

Fog is a weather condition in which very small drops of water come together to form a thick cloud close to the land or sea, making it difficult to see. Thick fog makes driving difficult, reducing visibility to a few metres.

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