The weather in Dausa took a sharp turn following overnight rainfall, with the season's first dense fog blanketing the city and surrounding areas since early morning.
Visibility plummeted to less than 100 metres, forcing vehicles on National Highway 21 to crawl at snail's pace amid the thick fog cover. The sudden change has disrupted daily life, while light rain continues across the district.
Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert and warned of fog persistence for the next two days.
IMD forecast indicated the possibility of light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunder and gusty winds (20-30 kmph) at isolated places over Nagaur, Barmer, Jalore, Jodhpur, Pali, Ajmer, Sirohi, Udaipur, Bhilwara, Chittorgarh, Rajsamand, Jhunjhunu, Sikar, Tonk, Jaipur, Dausa, Alwar, Bharatpur, Dholpur, Karauli, Sawai Madhopur, Baran, Kota, Jhalawar and adjoining areas.
Cloud cover with light to moderate showers will persist over Udaipur and Kota divisions along with adjoining areas for the next 4-5 days. The rest of the state is likely to remain largely dry from October 31 for the subsequent 3-4 days, according to the IMD release.
Due to the ongoing rains, maximum temperatures in southern and eastern Rajasthan have dropped by 5 to 12 degrees Celsius. In the past 24 hours, Bhilwara recorded the state's lowest maximum temperature at 19.6 degrees Celsius -- 13.7 degrees below normal, according to the release.
Citizens have been advised to take shelter in safe places during thunder activity, avoid trees, and unplug electronic devices until conditions normalise.
Meanwhile, Delhi woke up to a hazy morning today, with the city's air quality remaining in the 'very poor' category at 352, as of 8 am.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the monitoring station at Anand Vihar reported an AQI of 408 and Vivek Vihar 415, categorised as 'Severe' air quality, as of 8 am. Meanwhile, several monitoring stations reported 'very poor' air quality.
As of 8 am, Ashok Vihar reported an AQI of 388, Aya Nagar 331, Bawana 387, Burari Crossing 369, Dwarka Sector-8 371, IGI Airport T3 320, ITO 370, Lodhi Road 334, Mundka 364, Najafgarh 338, Narela 371, Punjabi Bagh 368, Patparganj 386, RK Puram 374, and Sirifort 381 -- all categorised as 'very poor'.
Truck-mounted water sprinklers have been deployed in various areas of the city to combat air pollution.
Post-Diwali, the Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) has been in the 'poor' and 'very poor' categories in several areas, even as Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) remains in effect.
Discover the latest Business News, Sensex, and Nifty updates. Obtain Personal Finance insights, tax queries, and expert opinions on Moneycontrol or download the Moneycontrol App to stay updated!
