This Friday morning, a thick fog shrouded Delhi and NCR, significantly reducing visibility and disrupting flights and transportation. On December 19, air quality in the national capital has once again drifted into the 'severe' category. The air quality index (AQI) plummeted to 387, nearing the severe range. Residents of Delhi are battling a double onslaught from fog and smog, with zero visibility in several areas, causing hardships for commuters.
Out of 39 monitoring stations across Delhi, 14 reported an AQI of over 400, with most others teetering on the brink of severe pollution levels.
Fog has caused visibility in Delhi-NCR (Noida and Ghaziabad) to fall below 100 meters.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for the day, forecasting dense fog in the morning hours.
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Coldest Day of December
Thursday marked the coldest December day of the season in Delhi, with a maximum temperature of 20.1°C, which was 2.1°C below normal. The typical cold wave has not yet hit the capital, nor the usual winter chill expected by this time in December. The meteorological department reported a minimum temperature of 9°C on Thursday, 0.9°C above the normal.
Conditions in the Hill Stations?
According to the IMD in Dehradun, dense to very dense fog is expected to persist in the plains of Uttarakhand over the next few days. Fog conditions are anticipated to be severe today in the plains of Haridwar, Udham Singh Nagar, and the surrounding areas of Nainital, Champawat, Pauri, and Dehradun, although the weather in Dehradun remains clear.
In some parts of the Udham Singh Nagar district, the IMD has also issued warnings of cold day conditions, indicating that the minimum temperature could fall below normal, intensifying the cold.
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Weather forecasts suggest dry conditions will prevail across the state today, though on December 20 and 21, light rain or snowfall is possible at some locations in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, and Pithoragarh. Snow may fall at altitudes of 3,500 meters and above, with dry conditions expected in other districts.
