Delhi shivers at 1.9 degrees Celsius, IMD's red alert of severe cold to last till Monday

New Delhi: Most parts of North India were covered in a thick blanket of fog on Sunday morning, with people in the national capital here shivering at 1.9 degrees Celsius as the IMD-issued red alert on the severe cold wave is set to last till Monday.
The India Meteorological Department on Saturday issued the red alert for the next 24 to 48 hours (till Sunday and Monday), warning of severe cold conditions in parts of North India, including Delhi. It predicted that cold waves and cold day conditions were likely to continue over northwest India during the next two days.
Lucknow witnessed the foggiest day of the season on Sunday. People going to work in the morning faced difficulties due to poor visibility. The thick layer of fog accompanied a drop in temperature in the city.
According to the IMD, minimum temperatures rose by two to four degrees Celsius over the western Himalayan region and were normal to above normal.
"Impact expected and action suggested due to dense to very dense fog in the night and morning hours in some parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi and Uttar Pradesh during next 2-3 days," said IMD on Saturday.
Cold waves and dense fog have also enveloped Patna and other parts of the state.
During the same period, minimum temperatures were below normal to markedly below normal over many parts of north and central India. The lowest temperature of zero degree Celsius was observed over Churu on Saturday.
On January 7 in Bihar, the District Magistrate of Patna, Chandrashekhar Singh issued a notice to close both government and private schools up to Class 10 in the state till January 14.
At least 20 flights were delayed till the afternoon at the IGIA in Delhi on Sunday as many trains across north India were also cancelled. (ANI)