Northern India is set to endure more cold days as a cold wave is expected to persist, leading to delays in flights and trains. Commuters traveling to and from the National Capital faced disruptions on Saturday morning, with some flights and trains experiencing delays due to low visibility caused by plunging temperatures.

In New Delhi, the minimum temperature recorded on Saturday was 8.5 degrees, and dense fog conditions are anticipated on January 22 and January 23. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported visibility as low as 50 meters at around 5:30 am on Friday in isolated regions, including parts of Punjab, West Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi, Tripura, Uttarakhand, East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, and East Rajasthan.

According to the IMD, visibility readings were as follows: Ambala in Haryana reported 200 meters, Hissar 500 meters, Delhi's Safdarjung 500 meters, and Palam 1100 meters.

The IMD predicts that the cold wave will persist, stating in its daily bulletin that 'cold day to severe cold day' conditions are expected for the next few days. The Jet Stream Winds at an altitude of 12.6 km above sea level, with speeds of 130-140 knots, are causing the subsidence of cold air and intensifying cold wave/cold day conditions over North India. A similar intensity of Jet Stream is expected to continue for the next 2-3 days, according to the IMD.

In addition to the cold wave, the IMD forecasts dense fog conditions on January 22 and 23 in Delhi and foggy weather on the remaining days.

Fog-Related Travel Disruptions: Nearly 11 trains heading to Delhi from various parts of the country, such as Khajuraho-Kurukshetra Express, Ambedkarnagar-Katra, and Vasco-Nizamuddin Express, have been delayed due to dense fog. Northern Railways reported delays of over six hours for five trains, including Khajuraho-Kurukshetra Express, Puri-New Delhi Purushottam Express, Hyderabad-New Delhi Express, RKamlapati-New Delhi Bhopal Express, and Kamakhya-Delhi Junction.

The temperature is expected to range between 6 degrees and a maximum of 20 degrees until January 25. A total of 22 Delhi-bound trains are running behind schedule due to dense fog conditions in various parts of the country.

Flight Operations Affected: SpiceJet Airlines issued a statement on Saturday morning, warning of potential disruptions to flight services in Dharmashala and Jammu due to cold conditions. Passengers were advised to check their flight status. The arrival of nearly two dozen passenger trains to Delhi was delayed by up to 6 hours or more, with several flights also experiencing delays on Friday due to fog and poor visibility conditions.

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