Several places across Jharkhand, including Ranchi, Jamshedpur and Bokaro, woke up to a foggy Wednesday morning.

The shallow fog reduced surface visibility to 800 metre in Jamshedpur and its adjoining areas at around 6.30 am and to 1,000 metre in Ranchi and Bokaro.

Several other places in southern and central Jharkhand, including adjoining Seraikela-Kharsawan, Chaibasa in West Singhbhum and Khunti, witnessed moderate fog which reduced the surface visibility to below 1,000 metre after sunrise at 6 am.

A blanket of shallow fog descended on the steel city and nearby areas soon after sunrise and cleared only after 9 am. Those manning the local IMD observatory said visibility in Jamshedpur and its adjoining areas was reduced to around 800 metre.

The visibility on NH-33 between Ranchi and Jamshedpur was reduced to less than 800 metre between 6 am and 7am, slowing down morning traffic. Visibility of around 800 metre was also reported from several places of the Kolhan region, including Chaibasa, Manoharpur, Chandil and Ghatshila.

The shallow fog took a toll on long-distance buses arriving or departing from Sitaramdera bus terminus in Jamshedpur. Buses started and reached late.

Streetlamps in Jharkhand Bijli Vitran Nigam Limited (JBVNL) command areas were kept on in Mango (Jamshedpur) and several places in Ranchi till around 8.30 am.

Early morning fog over Mango in Jamshedpur on Wednesday. Picture by Bhola Prasad

However, no train delays were reported in Tatanagar or Ranchi due to the fog.

An official at Birsa Munda International Airport in Ranchi confirmed that flight services remained unaffected. "Had the surface visibility been below 1000 metre it would have hit flight services," explained the official.

Deputy director of Ranchi Meteorological Centre Abhishek Anand said they had issued an alert of shallow to moderate fog during early mornings across Jharkhand during the next 72-hours.

According to Anand, in the absence of any strong system, night time radiative cooling resulted in formation of shallow fog in several places. Calm wind coupled with abundant surface moisture created favourable conditions for shallow fog, he explained.

Minimum readings witnessed a rise due to the shallow fog on Wednesday. Ranchi and its adjoining areas recorded a minimum temperature of around 8 degree Celsius against Tuesday's 7 degrees. Wednesday’s minimum temperature in the capital was two notches below normal.

In Jamshedpur, the night reading witnessed a one-degree rise from Tuesday's 8 degrees. Wenesday’s minimum reading in the steel city was two notches below normal.

Minimum readings also witnessed a slight rise in Bokaro, Dhanbad, Daltonganj and several other districts.