Chandigarh wakes up to first dense fog spell; more coming, says Met
Visibility was down to 100 metres in Chandigarh on Tuesday morning that is classified as dense fog by IMD; Before Tuesday, visibility had not dropped below 1,000 metres this winter and any fog had dissipated early in the morning itself
After experiencing several chilly nights over the past week, city residents on Tuesday woke up to dense fog that lasted through the morning.
This was the first dense fog spell in the city according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and similar conditions are expected in the coming days.
Visibility was down to 100 metres on Tuesday morning that is classified as dense fog by IMD. While visibility below 250 metres is termed dense fog by the Met department, that below 50 metres is classified as very dense fog.
Before Tuesday, visibility had not dropped below 1,000 metres this winter and any fog had dissipated early in the morning itself.
The visibility started to improve after 11.30 am on Tuesday and went up to 2,000 metres around noon, while the day turned sunny thereafter.
Speaking about this, IMD Chandigarh director Manmohan Singh said, “The fog was caused by the relatively high humidity, along with significant drop in the minimum temperature in some parts of Punjab and Haryana. This led to fog over the whole region.”
Stating that similar fog was expected in the coming days, he cautioned motorists to drive carefully in the morning.
There is an orange warning for dense to very dense fog in the city on Wednesday and Thursday. Orange is the second highest in the four-level warning system of the IMD, asking residents to be prepared.
At 18.7°C, city logs coldest day of season so far
Due to foggy weather through the morning, the maximum temperature dropped from 24.3°C on Monday to 18.7°C on Tuesday, 2.4 degrees below normal and the lowest that the day temperature has gone so far this season.
With foggy days likely to continue, the maximum temperature can drop further, especially if the fog layer is not lifted by the afternoon. The minimum temperature, meanwhile, went up from 7.3°C to 7.6°C, 0.8 degree above normal. Fog keeps the minimum temperature from dipping further, according to IMD officials.
Over the next three days, the maximum temperature will remain around 20°C, while the minimum temperature will remain around 7°C.
AQI turns ‘very poor’
The hazy weather also caused the air quality to turn “very poor” in some parts of the city. At the Continuous Ambient Air Quality Monitoring Station (CAAQM) in Sector 53, the average AQI of the past 24 hours, measured at 8pm, was 366, which is considered very poor.
It was 171 (moderate) at the CAAMS in Sector 25. An AQI between 200 and 300 can cause breathing discomfort to most people on prolonged exposure. When it’s between 100 and 200, it can cause discomfort to people with lung and heart diseases.