Around 35 flights were delayed in Delhi as dense fog continues to envelop parts of North India on Friday. Moreover, at least 26 trains were delayed by one to 10 hours due to the foggy weather, a Railways spokesperson said.

A day after recording the seasons lowest temperature, Delhi is again witnessing severe cold wave conditions, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing an orange alert in the national capital for today.

As cold weather prevails, images showed people lighting up bonfires to find respite from the chills in the national capital. "Ayanagar in in southwest Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 1.8°C while Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 4.0°C and Delhi Ridge recorded 3.3°C," the IMD said.

Some shelter homes have also been opened for homeless people across Delhi.

Delhi | People light up bonfires to find respite from the prevailing cold wave and fog conditions in the national capital. Visuals from the Nizamuddin area pic.twitter.com/rMOU0R6Dbk

— ANI (@ANI) January 6, 2023

"We've 197 permanent shelter homes. During winters, we put up almost 250 tents in Delhi. Now, we've 190 functional tents and 50 are in standby mode. Apart from mattresses and blankets, we also provide three meals a day to occupants," Vipin Rai, Member, Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board, was quoted by ANI as saying.

Delhi | Due to the increasing cold wave in the national capital, shelter homes opened for homeless people. Visuals from a shelter home near Sarai Kale Khan Railway Station (05.01) pic.twitter.com/8N7TK0aW0w

— ANI (@ANI) January 5, 2023

IMD official said there will be some relief from cold weather under the influence of a fresh Western Disturbance, which is likely to affect northwest India starting January 7.

Punjab and Haryana

Cold conditions continued to prevail in Haryana and Punjab as well. The minimum temperatures in these states remained below normal at many places on Friday. The maximum temperatures in Haryana and Punjab, including in Chandigarh, have dropped sharply for the past few days, settling between 11 degrees and 15 degrees Celsius.

According to the Met department's weather report, Narnaul was the coldest place in Haryana, recording a minimum temperature of 2.5 degrees Celsius. Hisar, which recorded a minimum temperature of 4 degrees, was also gripped by biting cold. Bhiwani recorded a low of 5.8 degrees Celsius, Karnal 4.8 degrees, Rohtak 6.2 degrees. The minimum temperature in Ambala settled at 4.8 degrees Celsius.

In Punjab, Balachaur recorded a low of 3.5 degrees Celsius. Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a low of 5 degrees Celsius.

(With inputs from PTI)

First Published:Jan 6, 2023 8:38 AM IST