Dense foggy conditions prevailed in the national capital on Friday, leading to poor visibility and adversely affecting the rail and flight operations.
The maximum temperature was recorded at 21.4 degrees Celsius, two notches above the normal while the minimum settled at 12.5 degrees Celsius, five notches above the season’s average, said a met department official.
A thick blanket of fog enveloped many parts of the city as the visibility dropped to zero at 8.30 am and increased to 200 meters at 11.30 am.
It was recorded at 900 meters at 2.30 pm and improved to 1,000 metres at 5.30 pm, the official said.
According to a northern railway official, 23 trains were cancelled as per the announced schedule of cancellation made four months in advance with 60 trains running late and 15 were rescheduled. The railways had taken the decision anticipating foggy conditions.
Five flights were disrupted on Friday with at least three diverted due to heavy fog at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here.
With the runway visibility dropping below the required limits, an IndiGo flight was diverted while many departures were put on hold since 4.15 am, airport sources said.
All landings are taking place under CAT-III B landing system, the sources said. CAT-III B allows the aircraft to land in visibility as low as 50 meters. Minimum visibility required for CAT III landing at Delhi Airport is 50 meters and for low visibility take-off operations (LVTO), it is 125 meters. The IGI Airport is the only airport in the country equipped with CAT III B.
Weatherman said that both at the Safdarjung and Palam observatories visibility was recorded less than 50 meters at 8 am. According to met department, humidity level in the morning was, however 100 per cent.
The Met office has predicted mainly clear skies for Saturday. “The skies will be mainly clear. Moderate to dense fog may occur in the morning. The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover at 23 degrees Celsius and 8 degrees Celsius respectively,” the official said.
On Thursday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 11.5 degrees Celsius while the maximum was recorded at 24.7 degrees Celsius in the city.
Dense fog enveloped the entire north India. Three persons died in an accident in Uttar Pradesh due to poor visibility.
