Cold Wave To Grip Delhi Till January 5 As Fog Disrupts Daily Life

Winter conditions in Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) are expected to intensify over the next few days, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting cold wave conditions at isolated locations.

Despite the drop in temperatures, the national capital witnessed a marginal improvement in air quality on Friday.

According to the IMD, cold wave conditions are likely to prevail in Delhi between January 2 and January 5.

The weather department declares a cold wave when the minimum temperature falls 4.5 to 6.5 degrees Celsius below the normal average.

The IMD has predicted similar conditions for parts of Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi during this period.

The weather department also warned that dense to very dense fog is likely to continue during the night and early morning hours at several places in Delhi until January 6.

Reduced visibility caused by fog and smog has already affected daily life in parts of the city and led airlines to issue travel advisories.

Air India and IndiGo cautioned passengers that flight schedules could be impacted due to poor visibility. IndiGo stated that it cancelled some flights in advance to minimise inconvenience.

Even as temperatures dipped, air quality levels showed marginal improvement across Delhi.

According to pollution control authorities, the city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 386 on Friday.

Data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) indicated that Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI remained in the ‘very poor’ category at 380.

As many as 26 monitoring stations recorded ‘very poor’ air quality, while 11 stations fell in the ‘severe’ category. Anand Vihar reported the worst AQI at 423.

Area-wise AQI readings included Dwarka Sector 8 (338), IGI Airport (259), ITO (326), JLN Stadium (362), Mundka (347) and NSIT Dwarka (411).

Neighbouring NCR cities also reported improved pollution levels. Noida recorded an AQI of 299, while Gurugram (232) and Faridabad (220) remained in the ‘poor’ category.

Ghaziabad registered an AQI of 300, marking an overall improvement across the region.

Indira Gandhi International Airport reported at 7:30 AM that CAT I operations were underway. Visibility stood at 1,300 metres, with no flight diversions reported. Airport operations remained normal.

Delhi recorded its coldest December day since 2019 on December 31, 2025. The maximum temperature fell to 14.2 degrees Celsius, around 6.2 degrees below normal. The sharp drop underscored the severity of the ongoing winter spell.

Also Read: Delhi Grapples With ‘Very Poor’ Air Quality With Freezing Winter Conditions