NEW DELHI: Delhi recorded visibility below 200 metres for 128 hours in 20 days of Dec and Jan, making this the third-most intense spell of dense fog in the past 10 years, according to India Meteorological Department.
In 2013-14, Delhi saw 160 hours of dense fog was in winter. The most intense spell of dense fog was in the winter (Dec and Jan) of 2014-15, which was for 174 hours.
IMD's data for the IGI Airport monitoring station shows the long period average for winter season (Dec and Jan) for dense fog is 107 hours.
This winter saw fog spells 21 hours higher than normal.
The dense fog in Jan was also record-breaking. Jan saw dense fog for 14 days, totalling 88 hours. This was the third highest for any Jan between 2014 and 2024. The second-highest dense fog spell was in Jan 2015 for 98 hours. The highest was in 2014 with 121 hours in the past 10 years, according to the Met department.
RK
Jenamani
, a senior IMD scientist, said: "From mid-Dec to Jan 28, no western disturbance impacted the region. Calm wind conditions prevailed. The absence of winds led to fog." He added that shallow to moderate fog in Jan was seen for 27 days.
IMD classifies fog by visibility. When visibility is under 50 metres, the fog is said to be very dense. When it is from 50-200 metres, it is dense, from 200-500 metres is moderate and from 500-1,000 metres is shallow fog.
As six flights were cancelled, some passengers raised slogans at Terminal 2 against
IndiGo
after a Delhi-Deoghar flight was cancelled. IndiGo said the cancellation was "due to sudden drop in weather conditions... in Deogarh. "Passengers were served refreshments and options to avail a full refund, alternative sectors or rescheduling."
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