Thick layer of fog across northern plains; Schools shut in Delhi, Haryana

National capital New Delhi experienced its coldest day of the season on Sunday, with the maximum temperature recorded at 15.9 degrees Celsius, a mere 4.2 degrees higher than the minimum. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported the persistence of a thick layer of fog across the northern plains, resulting in large parts of northwest India being devoid of sunlight. The weather agency predicts similar conditions for Mondayay, extending the cold spell.

In response to the severe cold, winter vacations for schools in Delhi and Haryana commenced on January 1, 2024. Both states have announced closures, with Delhi schools set to reopen on January 6 and Haryana schools on January 16. The Haryana government declared the winter break due to the prevailing cold weather, emphasizing the safety of students.

"Winter vacations in all government and private schools of the state [Haryana] will be observed from January 1 to January 15, 2024, with schools set to reopen on January 16, 2024," stated a circular from the Haryana government.

Several North Indian states, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Delhi, Haryana, and others, are currently gripped by a cold wave and dense fog, prompting school authorities to declare winter breaks or holidays. Delhi schools, recognizing the impact of poor air quality on students, had an earlier winter vacation from November 9 to 18.

"The Winter Vacation for the Academic Session 2023-24 was earlier scheduled to be observed from 01.01.2024 (Monday) to 15.01.2024 (Monday). However, in order to ensure that our students are not adversely affected due to the poor air quality in Delhi, a portion of Winter Vacation was observed from 09.11.2023 to 18.11.2023," explained the Delhi government in a circular.

Winter vacations have been declared in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, and Himachal Pradesh, in addition to Delhi and Haryana, as the cold spell continues to grip the northern regions.