Thick mist in Vellore and nearby districts puts motorists on arterial stretches at risk

Thick mist has enactment motorists astatine hazard connected arterial stretches similar Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) and Ranipet - Krishnagiri High Road (SH 24) successful Vellore, Ranipet, Tirupattur, and Tiruvannamalai districts owed to debased visibility of vehicles.

Meteorologists astatine Vellore Observatory of India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that aboriginal accomplishment of heavy mist successful inland areas similar Vellore, Ranipet, Tiruvannamalai, and Tirupattur districts was owed to a deficiency of oversea breeze that reduces occurrence of aboriginal mist oregon haze during monsoon.

Early mist and haze, meteorologists said, besides indicates agelong and cooler nights and little daylight. “Coastal areas similar Chennai person the vantage of oversea breeze that reduces harsh acold upwind during night. The strength of acold upwind volition beryllium felt overmuch higher successful January - February successful inland areas similar Vellore and surrounding districts,” N.A. Nehru Raj, meteorologist ‘A’, Vellore Observatory (IMD), told The Hindu.

Mist forms owed to temperatures dropping beneath dew point, which is the measurement of moisture and excess humidity. Areas similar Gudiyatham, Katpadi, Walajah, Arcot, Vaniyambadi, Tirupattur, Arani, Arakkonam, Tiruvannamalai town, Cheyyar, and Vandavasi person been experiencing heavy mist. Traffic connected arterial stretches similar the Chennai - Bengaluru Highway (NH 44) and Cuddalore - Chittoor Highway was besides affected owed to mediocre visibility. “We person to beryllium connected headlights of vehicles to get amended visibility of vehicles connected arterial stretches. Adequate information measures similar blinkers and reflectors should beryllium placed connected elevated corridors and bridges,” said B. Vinod, a motorist.

Meteorologists said that mist allows visibility to a region of lone up to 1.5 kms owed to heavy particulate particles. During haze, motorists tin presumption vehicles and objects intelligibly to a region of astir 5 km.

Mostly, mist occurs until 9 a.m, followed by haze until 11 a.m successful the region. During haze, blistery upwind gradually increases, providing much sunshine successful the afternoon. Fog poses much hazard for motorists arsenic visibility of vehicles is imaginable lone up to a region of little than 500 metres.

Another diagnostic of the alteration successful upwind is that inland areas volition witnesser agelong nighttime hours whereas the daytime volition beryllium shorter. It has been recorded that sunset successful Vellore and neighbouring areas successful the portion is astir 5.30 p.m since past week, indicating a alteration successful the upwind pattern. Prior to this, the sunset successful the portion was astir 6.45 p.m.