Fog blankets Delhi, train schedules disrupted

A thick blanket of fog engulfed Delhi on Tuesday morning, reducing visibility to zero and disrupting train schedules, officials said.

A total of 39 trains were running late as of 6 am. Some trains were delayed by 30 minutes, while others were running up to four hours behind schedule.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), “Zero visibility has prevailed over Palam since 4:30 IST, with southeasterly winds blowing at 6-8 kmph.”  At Safdarjung, visibility remained limited to a minimum of 50 metres in dense fog since 5:30 IST, with calm winds, the IMD added.

Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 8.9°C, 1.5 notches above normal, while the air quality was recorded in the poor category.

According to the CPCB air quality bulletin, the AQI at 9 am was recorded in the poor category with a reading of 256.

The IMD has predicted dense to very dense fog for the day, with the maximum temperature likely to settle around 19°C.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered good, 51 and 100 satisfactory, 101 and 200 moderate, 201 and 300 poor, 301 and 400 very poor, and 401 and 500 severe.