According to the meteorological office, the city will continue to experience dense fog with minimum temperature remaining low for the next two days.

On Monday, an official at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport said, “Due to dense fog, 51 flights were delayed Sunday. Out of this, 20 were arrivals and 31 were departures.”

According to the Regional Meteorological Centre in Kolkata, the visibility dropped to 50 metres around 2 am on Monday and by 5.30 in the morning, it increased to around 150 metres, which was still unfit for flight operations. “Decreasing visibility will remain for the next two days,” said a senior official of the Met office.

The city is experiencing a cold spell, with the minimum temperature dropping to 13.9 degrees Celsius, one above Sunday’s minimum temperature. A Met department official said dense fog conditions will remain in and around the city till Tuesday noon.

“Rain is likely across the state on Wednesday and Thursday. The city will continue to witness cold spells for the next few days,” said the official.

Due to dense fog, the Sealdah – New Delhi Rajdhani Express will leave Sealdah at 6.30 pm, two hours after its scheduled departure. Howrah-New Delhi Poorva Express, Howrah New Delhi Duronto Express and Santragachi-Porbandar Express will also have delayed departures.

Meanwhile, the minimum temperature continued to dip in Purulia and stood at 6.1 degrees Celsius, with cold waves likely to prevail for the next 24 hours.

The day’s lowest temperature hovered around 10 degrees Celsius in Purba Bardhaman, Paschim Bardhaman, Birbhum and other western districts. The minimum temperature at Bankura stood at 8.9 degrees Celsius.

In north Bengal, including Jalpaiguri, Kalimpong and Cooch Behar districts, cold spell and dense fog are expected. There is a possibility of hailstorms in Darjeeling and Kalimpong districts on Tuesday.