Severely foggy conditions gripped Gurugram early on Thursday, reducing visibility to as low as 100 metres in several areas, even as no active weather warnings were in place for the district.
A thick layer of smog covered major stretches, including Golf Course Road, areas around Cyber City, and key arterial routes such as the Delhi-Gurugram-Jaipur (NH 48), Dwarka and Kundli-Manesar-Palwal expressways, according to the district administration.
Compared to Wednesday, the minimum temperature in Gurugram saw a recovery of 1.8°C during the early morning hours. The India Meteorological Department (IMD)’s automatic weather station recorded mercury levels at around 5.3°C at 8.30 am.
“The dense fog is expected to continue in the region by the end of this week. However, temperatures are likely to improve by 2 to 3°C within the next two days and thereafter remain stable for a while during this winter season,” a senior IMD official said.
The IMD classifies fog as ‘shallow’ when visibility is between 500 and 1,000 metres, as ‘moderate’ when visibility is between 200 and 500 metres, as ‘dense’ when it is between 50 and 200 metres, and as ‘very dense’ when it falls below 50 metres. Its latest weekly weather forecast for Gurugram placed it under ‘dense to very dense’ fog levels at isolated places until Saturday.
A recent advisory issued by the meteorological authorities cautioned farmers to irrigate wheat, mustard, sugarcane, potato and pea crops during noon. It further advised farmers to keep their domesticated animals under sheds during night hours for protection from cold, windy and foggy weather, and provide them with lukewarm drinking water. Commuters were also cautioned to drive safely by maintaining distance from nearby vehicles and not to overspeed during such weather conditions.
The IMD forecast similar dry weather conditions with dense smog across the National Capital Region (NCR) on Friday and Saturday, with wind speed remaining between 5 and 10 km per hour during the day. Gurugram recorded a minimum temperature of 3.5°C and a maximum of 18.4°C on Wednesday.