14 Flights Cancelled As Dense Fog Covers Hyd, 4 Lorries Collide Due To Poor Visibility On Highway Road
Traffic was hit hard on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru highway as poor visibility led to a chain collision involving four lorries, bringing traffic to a standstill for nearly 10 km from Shamshabad to Palmakul: Reports
HYDERABAD: Dense fog blanketed Hyderabad and large parts of Telangana for the second consecutive day on Friday. It sharply reduced visibility, disrupted flight operations, slowed highway traffic causing prolonged delays till morning across several districts. Areas like Shamshabad, Rajendranagar, Kismatpur and long stretches of the Outer Ring Road witnessed near-zero visibility. Motorists said that vehicles just a few metres ahead were barely visible even after sunrise. In several locations, fog persisted till 9 am.
Traffic was hit hard on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru highway as poor visibility led to a chain collision involving four lorries, bringing traffic to a standstill for nearly 10 km from Shamshabad to Palmakul. The Hyderabad-Vijayawada highway also saw slow-moving traffic, particularly along the Abdullapurmet-Ghatkesar bypass, where drivers said visibility dropped to a few metres.
Flight operations at Shamshabad airport were affected. Poor visibility forced the diversion of 14 flights on Friday. Two Indigo aircraft bound for Hyderabad from Delhi and Mumbai were diverted to Vijayawada airport. They landed at the Shamshabad airport after the weather cleared. An Air India Delhi-Hyderabad flight was cancelled, while an Indigo Hyderabad-Tirupati flight was delayed.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast similar weather conditions for the next 48 hours, raising the possibility of further flight diversions in the coming days. It attributed the fog to moisture accumulation in the lower atmosphere combined with calm wind conditions, and said similar foggy conditions are likely to persist until January 4. Authorities have advised motorists to avoid early-morning travel where possible, use fog lights, maintain low speeds and avoid high-beam headlights, which further reduce visibility in dense fog.
Districts including Medchal-Malkajgiri, Rangareddy, Vikarabad, Sangareddy, Adilabad and Kumuram Bheem Asifabad reported widespread fog, delaying local transport and making early-morning travel hazardous.
Temperature data showed that while minimum temperatures across Telangana have risen above December lows, conditions remained conducive for fog formation. The state’s average minimum temperature stood at 17.2°C, about 1.7°C above normal, with the lowest minimum of 12.5°C recorded at Sirpur in Kumuram Bheem district. Hyderabad recorded a minimum of 16.8°C, while districts like Mahbubnagar, Jogulamba Gadwal and Rangareddy saw temperatures of over 2°C above normal.