After several days of clear skies, Delhi was on Tuesday enveloped in a thick blanket of fog as it woke up to a chilly morning with the temperature hovering below normal levels.
However, air traffic at the international and domestic airport was not affected as the runway visibility levels were normal at around 2,000 mt and all flights operated on schedule.
The minimum temperature was recorded at 3.2 degrees Celsius, four notches below normal. The mercury had on Monday plummeted to the lowest so far in this season at 2.6 degrees Celsius.
However, there is good news as the weatherman predicted relatively warmer days ahead.
"The cold spell is likely to be over. The nip in the air was because of the icy northerly winds and the wind direction is changing now. There will be winds from westerly and south-westerly directions," a Met department official said.
Visibility levels in Delhi went down to 400 mt in the early morning hours and improved as the sun came out.
The Runway Visibility Range at the airport dipped to 1,900 mt between 5.30 am and 7.20 am.
The Met office forecast said the minimum temperature will hover around 5 degrees Celsius in the next two days and the days will be partly cloudy, making it hazy. It also predicted fog in the mornings.
North India is in the grip of a severe cold wave with several places in Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir experiencing sub-zero temperatures.
