New Year Celebrations in Rajasthan May Be Hit by Rain, Fog, and Intense Cold

The weather could pose problems for those celebrating New Year's Eve in Rajasthan on December 31st. A strong Western Disturbance (WD) developing in North India is expected to bring cloudy skies and light rain to several districts. According to Radheshyam Sharma, Director of the Meteorological Center in Jaipur, this system could lead to light rain in the Bikaner, Jodhpur, and Ajmer divisions, as well as parts of the Shekhawati region, on December 31st. Rainfall is also expected in some areas of Bikaner, Jaipur, and Bharatpur divisions on January 1st. Additionally, dense fog is expected to cover the state from the evening of January 1st. Fog and cold winds are expected to persist for the next few days, further increasing the cold.

During the past 24 hours, dense fog enveloped northeastern Rajasthan. This weakened sunlight in several districts, and a significant drop in daytime maximum temperatures was recorded. Alwar, Hanumangarh, and Karauli recorded maximum temperatures below 20 degrees Celsius. Karauli was the coldest district in the state, recording a maximum daytime temperature of only 18.5 degrees Celsius.

The effects of dense fog are being felt both on land and in the sky in Rajasthan. On Monday, air and rail traffic were severely affected due to the dense fog. Four flights to Delhi and Chandigarh were diverted to Jaipur, while one flight from Jaipur to Chandigarh was cancelled. IndiGo's Hyderabad-Chandigarh flight 6E-6252 had to land at Chandigarh Airport in Jaipur due to dense fog. Similarly, SpiceJet's Mumbai-Delhi flight SG-386, Air India Express's Goa-Delhi flight IX-1348, and SpiceJet's Dubai-Delhi flight SG-12 were diverted to Jaipur due to poor visibility in Delhi. Due to fog, IndiGo's Jaipur-Chandigarh flight 6E-7742, scheduled to depart at 5:50 am, was cancelled. IndiGo's Jaipur-Guwahati flight 6E-748 departed at 8:26 am instead of its scheduled 6:40 am departure time. This flight was delayed by approximately one hour and 45 minutes.

The dense fog also affected rail traffic. Several trains in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Jammu, and Punjab were disrupted, causing significant inconvenience to passengers. Several long-distance trains, including the Ajmer Shatabdi Express and the Pooja Express, were delayed by hours.