India, Jan. 15 -- Cold wave conditions continued for a fifth day, as northwesterly icy winds and dense fog plunged the mercury 4.5 degrees below normal at Safdarjung, Delhi's representative weather observatory, to 2.9degC, compared to 3.8degC on Wednesday and 3degC on Tuesday, and the air quality remained "very poor". Air and rail traffic was disrupted as the visibility at Safdarjung dipped to 100 metres and 500 metres at Palam.

Data from the flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed over 200 flights were delayed at the Delhi airport. The average delay time for departures was 49 minutes. Trains were also running late, the Northern Railways said.

The minimum temperature at Safdarjung on Thursday was the lowest since January 18, 2023, ...