NEW DELHI: A thick blanket of fog enveloped the city on Tuesday morning, sharply reducing visibility and disrupting road traffic.The Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 390 in the morning, placing it in the 'very poor' range, according to Central Pollution Control Board. According to the IMD, moderate to dense fog is expected to persist through Tuesday and Wednesday.

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In a forecast bulletin, the department said very dense to dense fog conditions are likely to continue during night and morning hours over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and western Uttar Pradesh until 31 December, and over eastern Uttar Pradesh until 1 January, before gradually easing.Weather experts attributed the prolonged fog to a combination of calm winds, high humidity and clear skies.

Mahesh Palawat, vice-chairman of private weather agency Skymet, said fog intensity had eased slightly but would continue for several days. “Moderate to dense fog will persist at least until January 1. Travel on highways will remain risky from late night until around 10am due to light winds, high humidity, low temperatures and clear skies,” he said.On Monday, the minimum temperature was recorded at 8.3°C, about two degrees above normal, while the maximum temperature reached 20.3°C.

The IMD said minimum temperatures are likely to remain near normal over the next three days and may rise slightly from January 1. Daytime temperatures are expected to stay above normal, with light rain forecast on January 1.Air quality deteriorated further as the day progressed, slipping into the severe category by evening. The AQI touched 401 at 4pm, up from 390 the previous day. Wazirpur, Jahangirpuri, Rohini and Anand Vihar were among the most polluted areas, recording AQI levels above 450.With foggy conditions set to continue, authorities expect air quality to remain in the very poor to severe range over the coming days, with January 1 likely to see another spell of severe pollution.