NEW DELHI: The capital woke up to a chilly and bleak Saturday morning. Temperatures dipped suddenly — the maximum fell seven degrees below normal to 15.7°C — as icy winds from snowed-out areas of Himachal Pradesh and J&K changed the weather overnight. Winter is officially here, the Met department said, adding that the minimum temperature —11.5°C on Saturday — was expected to fall a couple of notches on Sunday.
With the chill, wafted in a dense fog cover, the worst of the season. Visibility hovered between zero and 50 metres at IGI airport between midnight and noon on Saturday, forcing more than 30 flights to be delayed. Five planes were diverted. Hundreds of passengers were stranded at IGI Airport. The fog is expected to hover on the city at least for the next four days. Brace for more flight disruptions.
The capital, already gasping for breath, witnessed its air quality rapidly deteriorating on Saturday. The pollution on Sunday is likely to turn worse. "Cold weather traps pollutants close to the surface. From an average PM 2.5 (fine, respirable pollution particles) concentration of 175 micrograms per cubic metres, it's shot up to 200 and is likely remain upwards of that," said Gufran Beig, project director, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting Research under the ministry of earth sciences.
The situation in Anand Vihar, one of the most polluted areas of the city, was alarming. The PM 2.5 concentration ranged from 210 to 327 throughout the day and between 170 to 262 at Mandir Marg, according to Delhi Pollution Control Committee. Central Pollution Control Board air quality index (AQI) was "very poor" at 323.
The weather changed overnight after warm southerly winds riding on a western disturbance (WD) for the past few days suddenly fell as the disturbance moved away from Saturday. With it, there was an immediate reversal in wind direction.
13/12/15 The Times Of India
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With the chill, wafted in a dense fog cover, the worst of the season. Visibility hovered between zero and 50 metres at IGI airport between midnight and noon on Saturday, forcing more than 30 flights to be delayed. Five planes were diverted. Hundreds of passengers were stranded at IGI Airport. The fog is expected to hover on the city at least for the next four days. Brace for more flight disruptions.
The capital, already gasping for breath, witnessed its air quality rapidly deteriorating on Saturday. The pollution on Sunday is likely to turn worse. "Cold weather traps pollutants close to the surface. From an average PM 2.5 (fine, respirable pollution particles) concentration of 175 micrograms per cubic metres, it's shot up to 200 and is likely remain upwards of that," said Gufran Beig, project director, System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting Research under the ministry of earth sciences.
The situation in Anand Vihar, one of the most polluted areas of the city, was alarming. The PM 2.5 concentration ranged from 210 to 327 throughout the day and between 170 to 262 at Mandir Marg, according to Delhi Pollution Control Committee. Central Pollution Control Board air quality index (AQI) was "very poor" at 323.
The weather changed overnight after warm southerly winds riding on a western disturbance (WD) for the past few days suddenly fell as the disturbance moved away from Saturday. With it, there was an immediate reversal in wind direction.
13/12/15 The Times Of India
