Siachen Feat, R-Day Prep & More: Moving Over Fog Alerts & Train Delays, How India is Drubbing Cold

The Delhi Airport issued a fog alert for flyers around 6:15 am on Thursday as Safdarjung Observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 3°C — national capital’s lowest this season. While around 100 flights were delayed and few were diverted, at least 12 trains were reported running late and two had to be rescheduled in the Northern Railway region. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a ‘red alert’ in view of the dense fog and cold conditions.

The dense fog and cold conditions did not even spare Union home minister Amit Shah as his flight to Agartala had to be diverted to Guwahati amid poor visibility.

Surprisingly, despite hitting normal life, the winters in 2022 were the warmest in over a hundred years. The India Meteorological Department on Wednesday said that a month ago India recorded its warmest December in 122 years.

“There was no cold wave or cold day condition over northwest India until late December. This was mainly because no strong western disturbances impacted the northwest region which mainly causes a drop in temperatures in winter. So, temperatures continued to remain above normal through the month. Moreover, rainfall was confined to Tamil Nadu and Kerala, there was deficient rainfall over most parts of the country leading to high day temperatures,” M Mohapatra, director general of IMD, was quoted by Hindustan Times.

As far as January is concerned, the IMD has predicted very dense fog and cold day conditions over northwest India for next three to four days, but will “decrease in density thereafter”.

IMD’s Weather Forecast

• Severe cold wave conditions will prevail over northern parts of Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Punjab during on Thursday and Friday.

• During the above two days, cold wave conditions will be seen in isolated pockets over Uttar Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh.

• No significant change in minimum temperatures very likely over remaining parts of the country during next 5 days.

• Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh will be hit by very dense fog during the night and morning hours till Sunday.

• In Bihar too, the dense fog is likely to prevail till Sunday. Similar conditions will prevail over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh till Friday.

• Cold day to severe cold day conditions also are likely in many pockets of Uttar Pradesh till Sunday, while severe cold day conditions will continue in Punjab, Haryana, north Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh till Friday.

• Chandigarh’s weather department has forecast dense fog till January 9. They further said that a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect western Himalayan region from January 7.

Beating Cold, a Normal Life Continues

• Despite the cold conditions, rehearsal parade for the upcoming Republic Day celebration, on January 26, were held at Delhi’s Vijay Chowk.

• While north India reels under tough conditions, more flights may be seen in Goa as Mopa airport will start domestic operations from Thursday. This airport was recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

• Congress’s Bharat Jodo Yatra also resumed from Ailum village in Uttar Pradesh’s Shamli district, and questions over Rahul Gandhi’s T-shirt continues. “I walk in yatra wearing T-shirts. Many children of poor farmers and labourers walk with me in the yatra wearing torn clothes. But media doesn’t ask why children of poor farmers and labourers are walking without a sweater/jacket during the winter season,” Gandhi said.

• At the highest battlefield of the world, Siachen, where the temperatures are minus 30 degrees, Captain Shiva Chauhan of Fire and Fury Sappers has been operationally deployed in Kumar Post after the completion of arduous training. She is the first woman officer to have achieved the feat, winning applauds from PM Modi.

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