Cold spell lifts slightly, 11 trains delayed by fog

The familiar dense fog that has plagued Delhi-NCR, reducing visibility and causing delays to flights and trains over the last few weeks, dissipated into a very shallow haze on Saturday and cold day conditions lifted marginally, bringing some relief in the middle of what has been a particularly cold and dark winter.

The maximum temperature rose to 17.7 degrees Celsius (°C), only two degrees below normal, up from 14.2°C a day earlier, which was five degrees below normal. The minimum temperature was recorded at 8.5°C, one degree above normal.

While the nights were not as frigid and the day was helped by some sunshine, Saturday still felt fairly cold since the difference between the night-time low and the daytime high reduced to a single digit of 9.2°C at Safdarjung — which is representative of the city’s weather. Usually, the diurnal range — the most the temperature swings in a 24-hour period — in the Capital is in the 10-12°C range.

“The dense fog from Friday has completely dissipated into an upper layer of haze, contributing to a mostly gloomy day. However, the haze was not thick enough and mostly clear skies were observed through Saturday,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at India Meteorological Department (IMD).