NEW DELHIH: More than 20 trains bound for Delhi faced delays due to heavy fog blanketing North India. The fog, covering the Indo-Gangetic plains and extending to the northeast, significantly reduced visibility and impacted the schedules of 23 trains heading to Delhi, according to railway officials.

Satellite images revealed the presence of fog and low-level clouds over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and even some patches over Odisha.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported zero visibility at Delhi's Palam observatory near the Indira Gandhi International Airport. At Safdarjung Airport, visibility was limited to just 200 meters.

Severe visibility issues were also reported in various other regions. Amritsar in Punjab, Lucknow and Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Chandigarh, Bareilly in Uttar Pradesh, Purnia in Bihar, and Tezpur in Assam experienced visibility levels as low as 25-50 meters. Ambala in Haryana and Ganganagar in Rajasthan showed visibility of only 200 meters.

The IMD categorizes visibility conditions into very dense fog (0-50 meters), dense fog (51-200 meters), moderate fog (201-500 meters), and shallow fog (501-1,000 meters).

On Thursday, the IMD predicted that dense to very dense fog would persist during morning hours in parts of northwest India over the next five days.

While there was some relief on Wednesday and Thursday as the sun broke through the thin layer of fog in the northern plains, chilly winds continued to keep temperatures low.

Since December 30-31, cold to severe cold day conditions have dominated many parts of North India. A cold day is defined as when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or lower, and the maximum temperature is at least 4.5 notches below normal. A severe cold day occurs when the maximum temperature is at least 6.5 notches below normal.

The foggy conditions have not only disrupted rail services but have also impacted visibility for travelers and commuters.

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