A severe cold wave walloped Delhi on Sunday, with the minimum temperature at the Safdarjung Observatory, the city’s primary weather station, plunging to a bone-chilling 1.9 degrees Celsius, the lowest in January in two years.

A blinding layer of dense fog enveloped northwest India and the adjoining central and eastern parts of the country, affecting road, rail and air traffic movement.

Very dense fog lowered visibility to 50 metres at the Palam observatory, near the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport, at 5.30 am. The Delhi International Airport Limited tweeted that flights, which are not CAT III compliant, may get affected.

Update issued at 03:50 HoursKind attention to all flyers!#Fog #FogAlert #DelhiAirport pic.twitter.com/k0toyPSmZe

— Delhi Airport (@DelhiAirport) January 7, 2023

Passengers have been advised to contact the airline concerned for updated flight information.

The railways said foggy weather has affected the movement of over 480 trains. "Around 335 trains have been delayed, 88 cancelled, 31 diverted and 33 short terminated due to foggy weather," a railway official said.

According to the weather office, very dense fog is when visibility is between 0 and 50 metres, between 51 and 200 metres is dense, between 201 and 500 metres moderate, and between 501 and 1,000 metres shallow.

With frosty winds from the snow-clad mountains pounding northwest India, including Delhi, the weather stations at Lodhi Road, Ayanagar, Ridge and Jafarpur logged a minimum temperature of 2.8 degrees Celsius, 2.6 degrees Celsius, 2.2 degrees Celsius and 2.8 degrees Celsius, respectively.

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On Saturday, the Safdarjung observatory had logged a minimum temperature of 2.2 degrees Celsius — lower than that of most places in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand and some hill stations in Jammu and Kashmir.

The cold snap is straining power grids and posing challenges to the homeless and animals. Delhi’s peak winter power demand rose to a record 5,526 MW on Friday. The IMD warned of an impact on agriculture, livestock, water supply, transport and the power sector at some places.

The weather office also said frostbite can occur due to a prolonged exposure to cold and that one should not ignore shivering — the first sign that the body is losing heat — and should stay indoors.

”Eat vitamin C-rich fruits and vegetables and drink sufficient warm fluids to maintain adequate immunity. Avoid or limit outdoor activities,” it said in an advisory.

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First Published:Jan 8, 2023 10:52 AM IST