Hyderabad, Jan 3: Telangana woke up to a dense hazy and foggy morning on Friday with large parts of the state including east, central and south Telangana, covered under a thick blanket of fog that severely reduced visibility and disrupted normal life.
Districts such as Khammam, Bhadradri-Kothagudem, Mahabubabad, Suryapet, Warangal and Mulugu reported extremely low visibility during the early morning hours. Upper level fog persisted in several areas well into the late morning even after sunrise compounding difficulties for commuters.
The widespread fog followed the end of a recent cold wave that had pushed minimum temperatures down to as low as 6°C in northern and eastern parts of the state. With temperatures rising and moisture levels increasing, conditions became favourable for fog formation, weather officials said.
State-level data showed that minimum temperatures on Friday ranged from 12.5°C to around 18°C. The lowest minimum temperature of 12.5°C was recorded at Kumuram Bheem Asifabad, while districts including Adilabad, Kamareddy, Vikarabad and Jayashankar Bhupalpally recorded lows between 13°C and 14°C. Hyderabad logged a minimum temperature of 16.8°C.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), maximum and minimum temperatures in the state are likely to hover around 29°C and 18°C, respectively.
The thick fog caused significant disruption to air traffic at Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA) in Hyderabad. Airport officials said 14 incoming flights were diverted to Bengaluru and Chennai due to poor visibility. The diverted services included flights operated by IndiGo, Quikjet Cargo Airlines, Oman Air, Flynas and Blue Dart Aviation, with several originating from international destinations such as Dubai, Muscat, Riyadh, Kuwait, Dammam and Jeddah.
In addition, 19 IndiGo flights — comprising 10 arrivals and nine departures — were cancelled, affecting connectivity with major cities across the country. At least nine departures, including seven IndiGo and two Air India Express flights, were delayed by more than two hours. Airport authorities later confirmed that all diverted flights returned to Hyderabad after weather conditions improved.
Road traffic was also badly hit, with thick fog leading to accidents and massive congestion on major highways around the city. On the Hyderabad–Bengaluru highway, four lorries collided due to poor visibility, resulting in traffic snarls stretching for several kilometres between Shamshabad and Palamakula. Reduced visibility slowed vehicular movement on the Outer Ring Road and the Hyderabad–Vijayawada highway.
Visibility on the Abdullapurmet–Ghatkesar bypass road dropped drastically, with vehicles barely visible even at a distance of 10 feet, officials said. Despite sunrise, the fog remained unusually thick, adding to the woes of early-morning commuters across the Hyderabad region.
