NEW DELHI: The light rainfall in the national capital and surrounding areas on Saturday failed to bring down temperatures or clear the air as a temperature of 11.5 degrees Celsius was recorded at Safdarganj Observatory in New Delhi on Sunday (December 13) morning. This was a few degrees above the season's normal as the capital normally witnesses temperature around 9 degrees Celcius at this time.
Several parts of Delhi on Sunday morning witnessed dense fog and reduced visibility. According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), this was due to the high moisture content in the air. At the Safdarjung observatory, whose readings are taken as representative of the city, visibility was reduced to almost 200 metres today. At Palampur observatory, the visibility was reduced to 100 metres.
Isolated parts in Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh witnessed dense fog and zero visibility on Sunday morning.
The mercury is expected to drop by Monday with the wind direction changing to northwesterly. These winds blow from the snow-laden western Himalayas towards the plains. Delhi's air quality, which was recorded in the 'very poor' category on Saturday morning, is also likely to improve 'significantly' due to stronger winds and rain.
A white blanket covered Kashmir as all parts of the Valley received moderate to heavy snowfall, leading to the closure of roads. Officials said rainfall along the Jammu-Srinagar national highway resulted in landslides at several places, leading to the closure of the arterial road. The weather is improving gradually across Jammu and Kashmir and it is likely to remain overcast throughout the day in Ladakh, a weather department official said.
Several trains have been cancelled by the Indian Railways due to the dense fog and the farmers' protests taking place at the borders of the national capital from over two weeks now.
