The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for parts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar, indicating the persistence of cold to severe cold day conditions.
Dense to very dense fog is anticipated in night and morning hours in Punjab and Haryana until tomorrow, and in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Odisha, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Tripura for the next two days.
The weather agency reported shallow to moderate fog in Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha on Monday, with visibility dropping below 500 meters in parts of Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan. Very dense fog has been observed in isolated areas of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar. Some parts of Madhya Pradesh are also expected to experience dense fog. Notably, Patna witnessed dense fog, and a thin layer covered Dal Lake in Jammu and Kashmir.
Train schedules have been affected by the dense fog, with around twenty trains anticipated to arrive late, according to a statement from Indian Railways. To mitigate disruptions, the Indian Railways has deployed 19,742 fog pass devices, aiming to enhance the reliability of train services, minimize delays, and improve overall passenger safety.
Rainfall alert
According to IMD, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Lakshadweep may witness light to moderate rainfall over the next 3 to 4 days. Maharashtra is expected to experience light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning today and tomorrow, while East Rajasthan and West Madhya Pradesh may witness hailstorms until tomorrow.
Further predictions include light rain and snowfall in Jammu-Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand tomorrow. Fishermen have been cautioned against venturing into the coasts of Tamil Nadu, the Southwest Bay of Bengal, Gulf of Mannar, and the Comorin Area due to squally weather and wind speeds gusting up to 55 kilometers per hour.
The IMD said that minimum temperatures in northern India are expected to remain relatively stable over the next 4 days.