The belt of fog extending from Uttar Pradesh and foothills of Bihar to Sub Himalayan West Bengal reduced considerably on Thursday morning.
Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Northeast India had been bearing the brunt of dense to very dense fog since more than a week now. However, in last 24 hours, fog eased out in most of the places except for Varanasi, which witnessed dense fog with zero visibility for an extended duration.
Gorakhpur is one of the most favoured places for winter fog and had been witnessing zero visibility since the beginning of the winter season. Fog reduced in this station as well with improved visibility of 800 meters in the early morning hours.
Most vulnerable places like Bareilly, Khajuraho, Gwalior and Agra remained fog free today. Allahabad, Lucknow, Patna and various other places witnessed only shallow fog for a short duration. However, Northeast India still remains under the grip of fog.
Dense fog generally sets in along the Gangetic plains from mid-December to end of January and sometimes stretching up to the first fortnight of February. According to media reports, a fog related accident in Bijnore district of Uttar Pradesh also claimed seven lives on December 9. Several trains in the state have also been running behind schedule due to fog.
In such a scenario, a day’s relief from fog did bring some respite. Thanks to a band of cloud running from Maharashtra to east Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. As have been reiterated by Skymet, clouds generally restrict outgoing radiation and suppress fog in the lower levels. Fog generally forms under stable conditions and clear skies.
In North India, Delhi also reported visibility of 1500 meters. Amritsar, Ludhiana and other places generally affected by fog witnessed good visibility conditions.
During next 24 hours, the band of cloud along with the approaching Western Disturbance will keep fog under control. Fog will remain location specific, if at all. Fog is likely to make a comeback in Delhi and other parts of North India after the Western Disturbance moves away.
