Dense fog engulfs Punjab, Chandigarh; trains delayed, flight operations hit
Fog season has officially started in the city and is expected to get worse in the coming days.
PTC News Desk: Parts of Punjaba and Chandigarh experienced season's first spell of dense fog on Wednesday dropping the visibility to as low as 150 metre. As per India Meteorological Department (IMD), fog season has officially started in the city and is expected to get worse in the coming days. An orange alert has been issued for Thursday and Friday.
According to the IMD observatory in Sector 39, visibility stood at 800 metres at 5.30 am but deteriorated sharply to 150 metres by 8.30 am, before improving to 3,500 metres by 11.30 am. Fog is termed dense when visibility ranges between 50 and 200 metres, very dense when it falls below 50 metres, and moderate when visibility is between 200 and 500 metres.
IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said that dense fog is typically witnessed in the latter half of December. He explained that earlier, dry north-westerly winds prevailed over the region, but the recent Western Disturbance has brought moisture-laden easterly winds. Combined with low daytime temperatures, this has resulted in foggy conditions that are expected to persist for the next few days.
The fog has also impacted air quality, with the city’s AQI slipping to 275 on Wednesday, placing it in the poor category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board. This was only marginally better than Delhi’s AQI of 334 and marked a sharp rise from Tuesday’s AQI of 126, more than doubling within a day due to fog. Panchkula recorded an AQI of 330, falling in the very poor category and nearly matching Delhi’s levels.