Indore Gripped by Cold Wave; Biting Cold Expected for Next Three Days, Flights Delayed

MP Weather: Cold weather is wreaking havoc in Madhya Pradesh. Pachmarhi has been covered in a sheet of snow, while most cities are submerged in dense fog.

IMD Weather Alert: Cold has intensified in January due to a continuous drop in maximum temperatures, accompanied by dense fog. Visibility was recorded at 100 metres on Sunday morning. The maximum temperature was 22.3 degrees Celsius, and the minimum temperature was 11.8 degrees Celsius. A day earlier, these figures were 21.9 and 12.6 degrees Celsius, respectively. The maximum temperature has decreased by 4 degrees in four days. Consequently, a chill is being felt even during the day, with people venturing out in jackets and woollen clothes.

It is noteworthy that the entire state of Madhya Pradesh is under the grip of fog and cold waves. Dense fog and cold winds have severely impacted daily life. One death has been confirmed due to the cold, and schools have been closed.

Cold winds from North India Increase Shivering

Cold winds originating from North India have intensified the shivering in the evenings. Dr. Divya Surendran, a scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), stated that a Western Disturbance is spread in the form of a trough, and a trough line has also formed. The dense fog is a result of the combined effect of these two phenomena. The day's temperature has dropped, leading to increased cold. This situation is expected to persist for the next two to three days, with daytime temperatures remaining low.

How the System is Forming

– A jet stream wind is blowing at a speed of 268 km per hour at an altitude of 12.6 kilometres above sea level.

– A trough of westerly wind is advancing in the form of a Western Disturbance.

Flight Schedules Disrupted, Indore-Bound and Departures Delayed

Flights from Devi Ahilyabai Holkar Airport were delayed for the second consecutive day due to weather conditions. While 41 flights were affected on Saturday, 35 flights on Sunday arrived or departed between one to four hours late. Aircraft operations were hampered by a drop in visibility to 100 metres at the airport. The first flight, arriving from Ahmedabad, landed at 9:21 AM, followed by the Pune flight at 9:30 AM. Passengers had to wait at the airport as flights were delayed from morning until afternoon. A total of 17 inbound flights and 18 outbound flights to Indore were delayed throughout the day.

Indore Airport fog (Patrika file photo)

Air India Express's flight to Delhi was cancelled. Flights from Indore to Jaipur, Mumbai, and Raipur, usually operating between 6:35 AM and 6:55 AM, were also affected. The Jaipur flight departed half an hour late at 7:05 AM, the Mumbai flight at 6:55 AM, and the Raipur flight at 7:01 AM.

The flight from Indore to Jabalpur, scheduled to depart at 6:55 AM, was delayed by three and a half hours. Flights to Bengaluru, Delhi, Ahmedabad, Mumbai, Goa, Jammu, Rewa, Udaipur, Bhubaneswar, and Hyderabad were also delayed. The Pune-bound flight, scheduled to arrive at 6:40 AM, arrived in Indore three hours late. Flights from Bengaluru, Jaipur, Bhubaneswar, Goa, Ahmedabad, Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Jammu, and Rewa arrived between one to four hours late.