Chandigarh: Severe cold weather and dense fog continued to disrupt normal life across northern parts of the country, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert for Delhi, Haryana, Punjab and Chandigarh on Saturday. The weather agency warned that extremely low visibility due to thick fog could persist through the day, affecting road, rail and air travel.
The IMD has also forecast cold wave conditions in isolated areas of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Bihar are expected to remain under cold weather conditions until Monday, with night temperatures dipping further below normal.
In Punjab, the situation is expected to worsen over the next few days. A red alert has been issued for six districts, including Amritsar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Patiala. An orange alert has been sounded in 17 other districts, among them Pathankot, Gurdaspur, Tarn Taran, Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr, Ferozepur, Fazilka, Faridkot, Muktsar, Moga, Bathinda, Barnala, Mansa, Sangrur, Rupnagar, Mohali and Malerkotla, indicating a high likelihood of severe fog and cold conditions.
Dense fog significantly impacted flight operations at Sri Guru Ram Dass Jee International Airport in Amritsar, where several international flights, including those operated by Air India Express and Malaysia Airlines, were cancelled. Flights on the Delhi–Amritsar sector also faced delays, leaving passengers stranded for hours at the airport. Authorities have advised travellers to check flight status before heading to airports as low visibility conditions may continue for the next few hours.
The weather department has urged people to remain cautious, especially during early morning and late-night hours, as dense fog is likely to reduce visibility sharply, increasing the risk of accidents.
