Coastal Districts to Have Fog for Two More Days; Flights Affected
Several flights are either getting delayed by a few hours or diverted or even cancelled at times mainly in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Rajamahendravaram airports in the last few days due to dense fog conditions.
Vijayawada: Flights could be affected as several districts along the Andhra Pradesh coast would witness shallow to moderate fog in the next two days.
Several flights are either getting delayed by a few hours or diverted or even cancelled at times mainly in Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Rajamahendravaram airports in the last few days due to dense fog conditions.
Motorists are facing a tough time during the early hours to drive their vehicles due to fog causing poor visibility.
The formation of fog is due to a phenomenon called ‘temperature inversion’, and under its influence ambient air quality would also be affected, IMD Amaravati stated in a release on Tuesday.
It said shallow to moderate fog is likely at isolated pockets over north and south coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam and shallow fog/mist is likely at isolated pockets over Rayalaseema on Wednesday.
By Thursday, shallow to moderate fog is likely at isolated pockets over north coastal AP and Yanam.
IMD said a prevalence of high pressure area in central India is having its impact on coastal districts of AP, wherein the wind is light and calm, the sky is clear and humidity high in the atmosphere.
Due to the temperature inversion, the temperature in the surface up to about 500 metres height “will rise; and later it will decrease as the air moves up the sky.
This is unlike the normal practice of temperature in the atmosphere receding as the air moves up the sky.
The deviation of temperature is due to high humidity at lower level; and this getting decreased after going up for some distance causes fog formation. The more the deviation in temperature, the more the density of the fog in the atmosphere, it is stated.
IMD Amaravati director S. Stella said, “Temperature inversion and the resultant formation of fog is a natural phenomenon during January. One can find dense fog from the early hours at 5am till 7am and above at times.”
Once the sun rises, the fog dissipates and a normal atmosphere would prevail.
The dense fog is also having its impact along with other pollutants on ambient air quality in some parts of AP. Visakhapatnam is the worst hit with its AQI showing 260 on January 18, 246 on January 29 and 284 on January 20 with PM 2.5 as the main pollutant.
Rajamahendravaram’s AQI was recorded at 212 of PM 2.5 on Tuesday.
AP pollution control board’s senior environmental scientist Sree Rajani said, “Prevalence of poor ambient air quality for a long period during January in Visakhapatnam is a cause of concern. It will cause health hazards.”
