jackpot city casino Air Quality Worsens In Delhi While Cold Wave Conditions Continue Across North India

Jama Masjid engulfed in fog during a cold winter morning, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. Photo: PTI Jama Masjid engulfed in fog during a cold winter morning, in New Delhi, Wednesday, Dec. 18, 2024. Photo: PTI

Delhi and its neighboring areas like Noida, Ghaziabad, and Gurugram woke up to a thick blanket of dense fog on Thursday morning, adding to the chill of an already cold day. The fog reduced visibility significantly, while the region’s air quality remained perilously high in the ‘severe’ to 'severe-plus' category, prompting health concerns.

At around 6 AM on Thursday, Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at a hazardous 448, falling just two points short of the ‘severe-plus’ threshold. Out of the 37 monitoring stations across the city, 21 recorded a ‘severe plus’ AQI. Areas such as Wazirpur, Vivek Vihar, Rohini, and Anand Vihar registered AQI readings between 472 and 485, putting residents at serious risk, especially those with respiratory conditions.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a dense fog alert for Delhi, forecasting the persistently low visibility to continue until Friday. The conditions are a result of the ongoing influence of western disturbances, which are also responsible for a drop in minimum temperatures. As per IMD, the minimum temperature in Delhi had dipped to 5°C on Thursday morning, while earlier this week, the city recorded a low of 7.4°C.

VIDEO | Near zero visibility is parts of Delhi due to dense fog cover. Visuals from Old Yamuna Bridge area.#DelhiWeather #WeatherUpdate (Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/jeipEhQFmt

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 19, 2024

Cold Wave in other parts of India

While Delhi struggles with thick fog and toxic air, colder regions of North India are facing a severe cold wave. The minimum temperatures in parts of Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh continue to dip below freezing, with the mercury plunging to as low as -7.4°C in Tabo, Himachal Pradesh.

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Jammu & Kashmir: In Kashmir however, there was a slight improvement in the intense cold, with temperatures rising slightly across the valley, though they remained below freezing. Srinagar recorded a minimum temperature of -4.5°C, a slight increase from the previous night’s -5.3°C. The cold has caused the freezing of water supply lines and the edges of water bodies, severely affecting daily life.

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Himachal Pradesh: The lower hills and plains of Himachal are also battling severe cold wave conditions. The local meteorological office has issued an orange warning for severe cold in districts such as Una, Bilaspur, Hamirpur, and Mandi. Meanwhile, Chamba and Kangra districts have been placed under a yellow warning for cold wave conditions until Saturday. 

Karnataka: The IMD has also issued warnings for continued cold wave conditions over parts of Karnataka. The districts of Bidar, Vijayapurajackpot city casino, and Kalaburagi are expected to see temperatures 2-4°C below normal for the next three days. Meanwhile, isolated parts of interior Karnataka may experience shallow fog or mist until December 20. The IMD has predicted light rainfall over select districts, including Bengaluru, on December 23-24.