Chennai weather has remained clear for the past few weeks now. However, after a long time, Chennaites woke up to an unusually foggy morning on Thursday. While most parts of North India including the national capital observed shallow fog, the capital city of Tamil Nadu witnessed a morning blanketed with thick fog.
Chennai observed fog at around 5:30 in the morning and the conditions remained the same for around three hours. The visibility ranged from 250 metres to 500 metres, the lowest being recorded at 250 metres for about two hours or so.
Air traffic was disrupted with two international flights including an Oman Airways Muscat-Chennai flight and an Air India Dubai-Chennai flight being diverted to Bengaluru. Not only did international flights take a hit due to thick fog on the runway, but domestic flights were also affected. Flights to Hyderabad, New Delhi, and Pune were delayed.
The incidents of fog in Chennai usually occur between January and February. Light winds, high humidity levels (preferably more than 90%), clear sky conditions and temperatures are some of the catalysts that aid the formation of fog.
Temperatures usually do not have a fixed range and can vary from single digits to double digits. Two of the most important contributory factors for the formation of fog remain humidity over 90 percent and light winds.
As far as coastal stations are concerned, humidity levels usually remain high. During the night and early morning hours, the temperature contrast between land and sea increases. Warmer air from the ocean travels over the land, and due to lower temperatures fog formation takes place.
When fog occurs over Chennai, the duration is short lived. For instance, the current visibility for Chennai is around 5000 metres. As far as more foggy mornings in the capital city of Tamil Nadu is concerned, the forecast for fog over Coastal areas remains a challenge. Thus, it is hard to say how Chennai weather in terms of fog will turn out to be during the next few days.
Image Credit: thehindubusinessline.com
