Fog throws rail, air traffic out of gear in Punjab and Haryana

A thick blanket of fog today enveloped most parts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh disrupting normal life and hitting air, rail and road traffic.

The fog was responsible for reduced visibility in the region and, resultantly, several trains and flights were either cancelled or delayed by hours, MeT Department officials said.

The condition was no better on the roads where motorists were forced to switch on their headlights even as vehicular traffic moved at a snail’s pace due to reduced visibility.

Besides, tripping of power and low pressure of water supply was also seen.

Narnaul was the coldest place in the plains of Punjab and Haryana with a low of 3 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal.

While Hisar shivered at a low of 3.4 degrees Celsius, four notches below normal, the minimum temperature at Bhiwani was 5 degrees Celsius.

Among other places, Amritsar registered a low of 6 degrees Celsius, two notches above normal, followed by 7.1 degrees Celsius at Ludhiana and 7.5 degrees Celsius in Chandigarh, which was one notch above the normal.

In Jalandhar, the minimum temperature was at 8.5 degrees Celsius, up by about five notches from yesterday.

Ambala reported a low of 8.1 degrees Celsius, one notch above normal, while Patiala, too, saw a similar movement of the mercury with a low of 7.9 degrees Celsius.

The MeT office has forecast a further drop in minimum temperatures in the region and said that poor visibility due to foggy weather would continue over the next 24 hours.