Chandigarh: A total of 11 flights bound for Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bengaluru, and Goa experienced delayed departures from Chandigarh's Shaheed Bhagat Singh International Airport as dense fog enveloped the city on Thursday. Besides, the morning Shatabdi Express traveling from Kalka to New Delhi faced a delay of approximately 40 minutes, while the Shatabdi from New Delhi to Kalka experienced a 45-minute delay. 

Moreover, the Vande Bharat Express from New Delhi to Chandigarh encountered a delay of 35 minutes.

Earlier in the day, at 5:30 am, Chandigarh witnessed a significant drop in visibility, falling below 25 meters, which persisted until 8:30 am. According to the IMD classification, fog is considered dense when visibility is less than 50 meters. 

Earlier in the week, on Tuesday and Wednesday, Chandigarh had also encountered shallow fog. The adverse visibility conditions extended to neighboring areas, with Patiala and Ambala experiencing visibility below 25 meters, while Amritsar and Karnal recorded visibility under 50 meters. 

The IMD attributed these atmospheric conditions to a decrease in mercury levels.