Amritsar recorded zero visibility conditions for 14 hours stretch at Raja Sansi Airport. Nil visibility conditions started at 8 pm on 11th February and continued till 10 am today. This being one of the longest holds out on account of poor visibility has hampered air operations at the Amritsar airport. The RVR (Runway Visual Range) also was barely 100-150 mtr and therefore permitted limited take-off and landing of aeroplanes. A thick envelope of fog trapped radiations and the temperature hovered around 11-12°C for the entire duration in Amritsar. The minimum temperature today morning for Amritsar was 10.4°C, nearly 5°C above the normal. Nil wind conditions since last evening have not permitted churning and mixing of water particles resulting in extended blinding visibility over and around the airport.
The ‘Golden City’ is known for being the coldest in the region along with Adampur (Jalandhar) during the winter season. Also, poor visibility conditions strike this airfield and Amritsar as well more often than other towns in the vicinity. Amritsar nearly froze on 3 occasions this season with the temperature dropping to 0.4°C, 0.6°C and 0.4°C on 18th December, 19th December and 29th December 2020. The lowest temperature in January for Amritsar, otherwise being the coldest month, was restricted to 1.2°C on 30th January 2021.
No weather system is likely to affect Amritsar before 20th February and only mild activity is expected even thereafter. A thin layer of clouds may shroud Amritsar today and tomorrow blocking the sunshine and restricting the day temperature to about 20-21°C. Mostly clear nights will result in radiational cooling to facilitate fog formation during the evening, night and lasting till morning hours for Amritsar.
