Delhi Weather Update: The extreme cold conditions have been observed in Delhi for the past week as the minimum temperature has been hovering around 3 to 4 degrees Celsius.
Delhi Weather Update: The cold wave conditions continue to grip the national capital on Tuesday morning as the minimum temperature was registered at below 4 degree Celsius which is this winter season’s lowest. A thick layer of fog was see covering the city in several areas. In the meantime, IMD has issued orange alert for cold wave for Tuesday and said the cold wave conditions will continue for next 4-5 days till January 20, 2024.
It should be noted that extreme cold conditions have been observed in the city for the past week as the minimum temperature has been hovering around 3 to 4 degrees Celsius. The city recorded minimum temperature at 3.5 degrees Celsius on January 14 and on Friday, it was recorded at 3.9 degrees Celsius.
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30 Flights Delayed At Delhi Airport
The airport sources told news agency ANI that around 30 flights departing from Delhi Airport have been delayed and 17 departing flights were cancelled due to weather conditions.
IMD Predicts Dense Fog Till Jan 20
As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, the minimum temperature recorded on Monday was four notches below the season’s average and the maximum temperature was registered at 20.6 degrees Celsius. However, the IMD predicted dense fog for the next 4-5 days.
On Monday, a total of five flights were diverted at the Delhi airport due to bad weather. While four flights were diverted to Jaipur and one flight to Ahmedabad between 1 AM and 5 AM. Moreover, 10 flights were diverted and some were cancelled on Sunday as the airport operations were significantly impacted due to low visibility conditions and dense fog.
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Jyotiraditya Scindia on Cold Wave Condition in Delhi
In the meantime, the Delhi airport has been asked to immediately expedite the operationalization of its CAT III-enabled fourth runway to the satisfaction of the civil aviation regulator DGCA for final approval, Union Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Monday.
The airport in the national capital already has a CAT III-enabled runway. A CAT III landing is a precision approach that allows aircraft to land safely in low-visibility conditions.
Delhi witnessed unprecedented fog wherein visibility fluctuated for several hours, and at times, dropped to zero between 5 AM to 9 AM on Sunday. On Monday too, the national capital woke to a thick fog.
Taking to social media platform X, Union Minister Scindia said that the Delhi Airport authorities were compelled to enforce a shut-down of operations for some time even on CAT III runways (CAT III runways cannot handle Zero-Visibility operations), keeping passengers’ safety in mind.
600 Flights Affected in Past 48 Hours
In the past 48 hours, around 600 flights, both domestic and international combined, were delayed due to the severe weather conditions.
To mitigate the situation in the near future, the DGCA will issue an SOP for airlines on better communication and facilitation of passengers to minimise discomfort in view of flight cancellations and delays due to adverse weather.
“It is my earnest request to all travellers to bear with us during this difficult period. All stakeholders are trying their best to minimize passenger inconvenience. Incidences of unruly behaviour amidst this are unacceptable, and will be dealt with strongly in line with the existing legal provisions,” Scindia said in a post on ‘X’.
“I would like to assure everyone that all stakeholders are working round the clock to minimise the fog-related impact,” the minister further wrote.
