A dense fog blanketed several regions in the northern part of India early Tuesday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported low visibility in Amritsar, Ganganagar, Patiala, Delhi (Palam), Lucknow, Agra and Bareilly, Patna, Gaya and Kolkata.

Eleven trains are running late in the Northern Railway region due to fog. Meanwhile, flyers have been advised to speak to airlines once before arriving at the airport. SpiceJet said it's "facing massive ATC congestion in Delhi due to bad weather. All departures/arrivals and their consequential flights might get affected. Passengers requested to check flight status".

11 trains running late in the Northern Railway region due to fog.

(Pic shared by CPRO Northern Railway) pic.twitter.com/elU2OzS37h— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2022

The IMD has also issued an advisory, saying difficult driving conditions on highways, some collisions and tripping of power lines are possible. "Likely train delays, diversions and cancellations. Airport operations are likely to be affected with flight delays and cancellations," it said.

The weather department said long exposures to fog can cause wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath in people having asthma bronchitis. It could also lead to eye irritation or infection. It suggested that travellers carry essential items like water and medicine on long journeys.

Fog lowers visibility

"Visibility data and RGB Composite (Satellite) imagery show that dense to very dense layer of fog lies mainly over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, North Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh," the IMD said in a series of tweets. Visibility dropped to 25 metres at the Palam airport and 50 metres at the Safdarjung airport in Delhi, an IMD official was quoted by PTI as saying.

The lowest visibility (in meters) reported at 0530 hours IST of today:Bhatinda: 00Amritsar, Ganganagar, Patiala, Delhi (Palam) and Lucknow: 25Delhi (SFD) and Purnea: 50Ambala and Agra: 200Gorakhpur: 300Bareilly, Patna, Gaya and Kolkata: 500.@DDNewslive @ndmaindia pic.twitter.com/GGnKIP0AbA

— India Meteorological Department (@Indiametdept) December 20, 2022

Severe cold wave and fog | High alert in these areas

Meanwhile, cold wave conditions are likely to prevail in parts of Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.

Delhi

Dense fog engulfed parts of Delhi early Tuesday, but the IMD predicted "mainly clear sky" later in the day. The maximum and minimum temperatures would be around 22 and 06 degrees celsius respectively.

(Credit: IMD)

Punjab

The IMD predicted "severe Cold wave conditions- (red alert) at isolated places and dense to very dense fog at many places" in Punjab. The IMD has issued red alert for cold wave and fog situation in Punjab's Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Kapurthala, Jalandhar and Ludhiana. A yellow has been issued in Firozpur, Moga, Barnala, Patiala and Faridkot.

Haryana

In Haryana, Fatehabad and Hisar are on yellow alert, while Jind, Bhiwani, Sonipat and Karnala are among districts on yellow alert. The IMD predicted "cold wave conditions and dense to very dense fog at isolated places" in Delhi, Haryana and Chandigarh.

According to reports, Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Dushyant Chautala’s car met with an accident near Haryana’s Agroha late Monday. The car collided with the police vehicle moving in his convoy due to dense fog on the route. The deputy CM escaped unharmed and a police officer was injured in the accident.

A vehicle in the convoy of Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala met with an accident in Dhandhoor village late Monday. (Credit: ANI)

Uttar Pradesh

Fog will be witnessed in Sharanpur, Rampur, Mathura, Agra, Kheri, Barabanki, Bharaich, Unnao, Lucknow and Bareilley amonf other districts. These areas on om orange alert, while a yellow alert has been issued in majority of the region including Kannauj, Badaun, Mainpuri, Auraiya and Badaun. An accident was reported in Uttar Pradesh as well.

Gautam Buddha Nagar, Uttar Pradesh | At least 10 people injured, one death reported after their bus collided with a container vehicle due to fog in Dankaur area this morning. The bus was carrying 60 passengers. Injured have been taken to a hospital: Gautam Buddha Nagar Police pic.twitter.com/4H7B2inUcP

— ANI UP/Uttarakhand (@ANINewsUP) December 20, 2022

Himachal Pradesh

Cold wave conditions are likely to prevail in Mandi, Una, Hamirpur and Bilaspur.

First Published:Dec 20, 2022 9:50 AM IST