New Delhi, Dec 19: Dense fog enveloped Delhi and its adjoining regions on Friday, causing significant disruptions at the capital's airport, where 152 flights are set to be cancelled. This includes 79 departures and 73 arrivals, as the reduced visibility and CAT III conditions at the airport severely impacted flight operations.
In response, the Delhi airport has been issuing frequent advisories, urging passengers to check with their respective airlines for updated flight statuses. Multiple airlines, including IndiGo and Air India, have also warned of potential delays and cancellations due to adverse weather conditions.
Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality has deteriorated further, reaching an AQI of 380, which is close to the severe category. This is an improvement from 387 in the morning, when 14 out of 39 monitoring stations across the city recorded AQI levels above 400. The dense fog has caused visibility in Delhi-NCR, including Noida and Ghaziabad, to drop below 100 meters, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a yellow alert for the day.
Thursday marked Delhi's coldest December day so far this season, with the maximum temperature recorded at 20.1°C, 2.1°C below normal. The minimum temperature stood at 9°C, slightly above normal. Despite this, the capital has yet to experience a full-fledged cold wave, and the usual biting cold of December has remained absent.
