At least 36 flights have been delayed while three have been cancelled as a thick blanket of fog enveloped Delhi. 50 trains have also been delayed while 12 others have been rescheduled in the national capital.
The city recorded a maximum temperature of 15 degrees Celsius on Sunday – seven notches below normal – its lowest so far this winter. The meteorological department has forecast moderate to dense fog today with the maximum temperature likely to hover around 16 degrees Celsius while the minimum is likely to settle around 5 degrees.
Intense cold conditions also continue to prevail across the northern region. While one person died in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, three others died of suffocation in Delhi after they lit a coal fire to keep their
In Jammu and Kashmir, Chillai-Kalan – the 40-day harshest period of winter – began on Sunday, increasing the chances of the first snowfall of the season in the Valley which has witnessed cold and dry weather conditions so far.
The minimum temperature, however, rose by over two degrees in Srinagar as the city recorded a low of -1.8 degrees Celsius on Sunday, compared to the previous night’s -4.4 degrees.
In Rajasthan, extreme cold conditions hit normal life; on Sunday, Churu experienced the coldest night of the season so far with the mercury nearing freezing point at 0.5 degrees Celsius.
Mercury again dipped by one to five degrees following northerly cold winds in most parts of the state.
A thick blanket of fog disrupted normal life in Punjab and Haryana as well as air, rail, and road traffic remained adversely affected with temperatures plummeting to below normal limits in the entire region.