Today, temperatures have dropped drastically in Delhi, Haryana and parts of Punjab due to the combined effect of two factors namely, upper haze and icy cold northerly winds. Upper haze did not allow the sun to shine till late afternoon and chilly winds kept the temperatures on the lower side.
Weather in Delhi remained hazy and cold day like conditions prevailed as the maximum is expected to stay near 16°C, a significant drop from 26.5°C on Friday. In Haryana and parts of Punjab as well, temperatures have dropped by 6°C to 8°C. Ambala, Hisar, Kurukshetra, Kaithal, Fatehabad were all reporting below 15°C, at around 2 pm on Saturday. Marginal rise in maximums expected tomorrow due to thinning of upper haze.
In meteorological language, we use the term haze, mist, fog and smog quite often. Traditionally these are all atmospheric phenomenon where dust, smoke and other dry particles obscure the clarity of the sky. However, every phenomenon is different from each other in terms of visibility conditions and moisture levels.
Mist occurs when the visibility is more than 1 km but less than 2 km. On the other hand, if the general visibility is 2km to 5 km, the condition is termed as haze. In both these conditions the humidity level is 75% or more. Smoke haze takes place when the humidity falls below 75% and dust and smoke particles accumulate in relatively dry air. At times when the smoke and other pollutants are prevented from dispersing, they concentrate impairing visibility and posing respiratory problems.
