Dense fog engulfs Delhi, UP, Haryana, etc; 400 flights, 50 trains affected, rise in Highway accidents | 10 Updates

As North India continues to suffer from severe cold waves, dense fog has disrupted the operation of flights and trains. More than 400 flights were affected at Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday. Thousands of Indian Railways passengers suffered after 80 trains were delayed due to poor visibility.

Amid chilling weather conditions, Delhi witnessed its longest zero visibility phase on Saturday. According to PTI, the visibility in the city was reduced to zero for an unprecedented nine-hour stretch on Saturday. 

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Coldwave, trains, flight delays, weather update

-The dense fog led to the delay of 81 trains, while 15 flights got diverted on Saturday, according to officials. "Zero visibility prevailed for nine hours at Palam between 6 pm and 3 am (UTC), marking the most prolonged spell of the season.

-More than 400 flight operations were affected on Saturday due to poor visibility in Delhi. According to PTI, there were multiple cancellations, delays and diversions due to dense fog on the second straight day, reported PTI.

-Due to harsh weather conditions and poor visibility, more than 59 trains were running late by up to six hours, and an additional 22 trains were running late by around eight hours, reported PTI.

-Poor visibility during the winter season is also a major cause of road accidents. Due to dense fog, multiple road accidents have been reported in Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and other states over the past few days.

-Two people were killed and four others injured when two cars and a truck collided on Hisar-Chandigarh road on Saturday due to low visibility due to dense fog, police told PTI on January 4. The accident occurred near Surewala Chowk, about 55 kilometres from Hisar, the police said.

-In another accident, due to dense fog, a bus collided with a truck parked in the wrong lane on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway. The driver of the bus was killed, and four passengers were injured in the accident, which took place near the Kalinger toll plaza on the Delhi-Mumbai Expressway, officials told ANI on Saturday.

-IMD has predicted heavy snowfall (even rainfall) in several parts of Jammu and Kashmir. As per an IMD update, snowfall is very likely at isolated places over Jammu-Kashmir, Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh on Sunday.

-Coldwave conditions are likely to persist in parts of Karnataka and Bihar.

-Transportation due to low visibility is likely to remain affected on Sunday as dense to very dense fog conditions will remain present in isolated pockets of north Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

-Dense fog conditions will prevail in isolated pockets of Assam and Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura in the night/morning hours.

-According to the weather forecasting agency, minimum temperatures will gradually rise by 3-5°C over the Western Himalayan region during the next three days. The rise in temperature will be followed by another drop in mercury by 2-3°C. Similar patterns will be experienced in Northwest, Central and East India.