The second half of December has begun with dense fog covering large parts of North India. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), very dense fog is likely in several areas of Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh on December 16 and 17. Morning fog may also affect daily life in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi. In the hill states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, as well as parts of Northeast India, foggy conditions are expected to continue for the next few days.
In Delhi, rising cold has been accompanied by increasing pollution levels, leading to severe air quality across the Delhi-NCR region. As per IMD forecasts, light rain or snowfall is possible in higher areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, and Himachal Pradesh, which may further intensify the cold. Weather experts say western disturbances, higher moisture, calm winds, and falling night temperatures are creating favorable conditions for dense fog. An active western jet stream over northwest India is keeping the atmosphere stable, causing fog to linger longer and clear late in the mornings across the plains.
Weather Conditions in the Last 24 Hours
According to the Meteorological Department, visibility dropped sharply in many areas till the morning of December 15. In Uttar Pradesh, visibility fell to zero metres in Agra and Prayagraj, while it was only 20 metres in the Taj Agra area. Cities such as Aligarh, Bareilly, Varanasi, Ghazipur, and Etawah recorded visibility ranging between 25 and 150 metres. In Delhi, visibility at Safdarjung and Palam airports dropped to around 50 metres, affecting flight operations. Due to dense fog, about 40 flights were cancelled from Delhi’s IGI Airport.
Fog Disrupts Flight and Train Services
Dense fog severely disrupted air and rail traffic. In Delhi alone, over 200 flights were delayed by several hours, and more than half a dozen incoming flights were diverted to Jaipur and Ahmedabad. Train services were also hit, with over 100 trains running late because of poor visibility. In Punjab, visibility was as low as 10 metres in Bathinda and 50 metres in Amritsar, while Hisar in Haryana recorded just 30 metres. Dense fog was also reported in parts of Madhya Pradesh, including Satna, Rewa, and Khajuraho.
Rainfall expected in THESE states
A low-level cyclonic circulation is active over South Tamil Nadu and nearby regions, which is likely to bring rainfall to Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal. Meanwhile, light rain and snowfall may occur at isolated locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand.
