Fog in North India
Just as Skymet predicted, fog makes a comeback in North India but only in few places. Amritsar and Indira Gandhi International Airport (Palam) reported nil visibility today morning.
Visibility at Palam remained fairly good even till midnight but started dropping around sunrise and reported 100 meters at 8 am. Even if fog appears for short duration, it leaves a cascading effect. As a result, from 9 am to 10 am, 5 flights to Amritsar were delayed by 151 minutes.
Fog in Central India
Fog generally does not make frequent appearances in Madhya Pradesh and adjoining areas of Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan. Nevertheless, the spell of widespread good showers in North India, paved way for fog at many locations in Central and East India.
On Monday morning, parts of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, which rarely observe fog, witnessed low visibility for the first time this season. Fog became thick today morning in Bhopal, Jabalpur, Indore, Satna, Kota and Gaya.
Consecutive days of fog are generally not witnessed in these stations. Even if it does, it does not last for longer durations.
Train delays in India
Meanwhile, train schedules have also gone haywire due to the dense fog in East India. Nearly 20 trains from Delhi were delayed today morning.
As delayed trains keep tracks busy, the railway authority has cancelled eight pairs of passenger trains and two pairs of special trains completely between December 15 and February 15. Passenger trains between Gorakhpur-Nautanwa, Gorakhpur-Barhni, Varanasi city-Gorakhpur, Sitapur Cantt-Burhwal, Aurihar-Jaunpur, Manduadih-Allahabad and Duraundha-Siwan have been cancelled completely.
Foggy weather in winters generally delays trains originating either from Patna or Delhi. The stretch between Tundala and Allahabad, which comes under the Allahabad division of North Central Railway remains the worst affected.