IMD issues dense fog alert for northwest, parts of adjoining central India for another 3-4 days

New Delhi [India], December 26 (ANI): Dense fog is likely to continue over northwest and parts of adjoining central India during the next three to four days, the India Meteorological Department said in a statement on Tuesday.

“Dense to very dense fog likely to continue over Northwest & parts of adjoining Central India during next 3-4 days,” the IMD said in a post on X.

As per the IMD data, the minimum temperatures over most parts of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi, and West Uttar Pradesh stand in the range of 6-10 degrees while most parts of Rajasthan, East UP, Madhya Pradesh and some parts of north Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand stands in the range of 11-12 degrees.

Minimum temperatures are normal or above normal over most parts of the country, according to the IMD data.

The IMD on Tuesday morning released satellite images showing a layer of fog spreading over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Delhi-NCR region woke up to dense fog on Tuesday with the temperature as low as 7 degrees.

Visuals from Delhi’s India Gate, Sarai Kale Khan, AIIMS, Safdarjung, and Anand Vihar area showed thick fog hovering over the region with visibility almost zero.

The visibility due to the dense layered fog was so low that tourists faced difficulties in capturing the Taj Mahal from the Royal gate as well as the Lady Diana Bench.

Other parts of North India too experienced winter chills on Tuesday morning, as cities such as Prayagraj, Ghaziabad and Meerut in Uttar Pradesh and Moga in Punjab faced cold waves, engulfed in dense fog. The temperature in Prayagraj on Tuesday at 8:30 am was recorded at 12.4 degrees Celsius, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Due to the cold wave in the city, people gathered around bonfires for warmth on the streets. The Moga city in Punjab also witnessed conditions of almost zero visibility as dense fog engulfed the city and the temperature dipped further.

The IMD on Tuesday morning released satellite images showing a layer of fog spreading over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Meanwhile, the Delhi airport experienced delays in both arrivals and departures for about 30 flights including international due to dense fog, as per the Delhi Airport Flight Information Display System data on Tuesday morning.

The IMD also warned of possible health impacts on people due to the dense fog in the national capital.

“Dense fog contains particulate matter and other pollutants and in case exposed it gets lodged in the lungs, clogging them and decreasing their functional capacity which increases episodes of wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath,” IMD said in a release on Monday.

The IMD release further stated that the fog conditions may tend to irritate the membranes of the eye causing various infections leading to redness or swelling of the eye.