Cold wave abates, fog delays 50 flights, 10 cancelled, 50 diverted

New Delhi, Feb 6 (UNI) A cloud cover over Delhi and light showers early this morning lead to a further abatement of cold wave in the city even as a dense fog enveloped the skyline, delaying 50 flights and leading to the cancellation of 50 others.

The showers followed a heavy cloud cover enveloping the Delhi skyline since last evening. A total of 2.7 mm of rain was recorded till 0830 hrs.

The clouds in the sky led to a rise in minimum temperature to 8.8 Degrees Celsius, from 8 degrees C yesterday. The maximum also rose sharply, from 17.5 degrees yesterday, to 20.5 degrees, two degrees below normal.

Meanwhile, after a clear sky in Delhi for almost the whole of January, a dense fog enveloped the skyline this morning, plummeting visibility levels and leading to delays, cancellations and diversions of several flights at the airport.

Airport sources said the Runway Visual Range (RVR) at the airport fell to 125 RVR units in the early hours of the morning, forcing airport authorities to put in force low visibility procedures.

Airport sources said about 10 flights were cancelled, 50 diverted and several others got delayed due to the thick fog cover enveloping Delhi and surrounding areas this morning.

They said 18 flights -- 13 domestic and five international -- were diverted while several airlines rescheduled their early morning departures.

The officials said 39 flights -- 24 domestic and 15 international -- operated from Delhi today when the Low Visibility Procedures (LVP) were enforced at the airports.

The coming days are likely to lead to a further abatement in the chill with the weathermen forecasting a rise in minimum temperature to 9 degrees tomorrow.

The Met office has forecast a partly cloudy sky in Delhi during the next 24 hours with the possibility of light rains or thundershowers in some areas.

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