Dense fog, cold wave grip swathes of north, northwest India, says IMD

Dense to very dense fog swept over parts of the country's north and northwest on Monday with the Met department predicting the conditions to persist over the next few days.

A severe cold wave gripped the region with temperatures plummeting in several towns and cities.

In Delhi, dense fog lowered visibility to 50 metres in some areas, affecting road and rail traffic.

Ten trains were reported running late by 1.45 to 3.30 hours, a Railway spokesperson said.

The mercury dropped to 3 degrees Celsius in the Ridge area, 4.9 degrees below normal, making it the coldest place in the national capital.

The Ridge and the Ayanagar weather stations recorded a minimum temperature of 4 degrees Celsius and 4.1 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi's primary weather station, logged a minimum temperature of 5 degrees Celsius -- three notches below normal.

Biting cold conditions and dense fog were reported in several parts of Punjab and Haryana, with Narnaul being the cold