Delhi witnessed shallow fog and scattered drizzle on Thursday morning, even as the air quality remained in the higher end of the ‘very poor’ category. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has placed the national capital on a ‘yellow’ alert, with forecasts of light to very light rain across the northern plains, including NCR.
It has also forecast chilly conditions in Delhi during the day, with the maximum likely to hover between 14-16°C.
Till 8.30am on Thursday, traces of rainfall were recorded at Palam, data showed. The minimum temperature was meanwhile recorded at 10.6°C – four degrees above normal.
Delhi’s maximum temperature on Wednesday stood at 14.2°C–6.2°C below normal, making it the coldest December day in six years. The last time Delhi had a lower maximum in December was December 29, 2019, when it was 13.3°C on the day.
Meteorological experts said a prevailing active western disturbance kept humidity high on Wednesday, with easterly winds feeding moisture. This meant despite winds picking up during the day – a thick layer of fog continued to push downwards from Punjab – all along the Indo-Gangetic Plain (IGP) region. Upper-level clouds also made it difficult for sunshine to reach the surface, keeping the capital locked in a haze of fog and pollutants and frigid temperature.
The IMD classifies it as a ‘cold day’ when the minimum temperature is below 10°C and the departure of maximum temperature from normal is 4.5°C or more. It is a ‘severe cold day’ when the maximum is 6.5°C or more below normal.
On Thursday, the minimum visibility recorded at both Palam and Safdarjung stood at 500 metres, even as isolated parts of Uttar Pradesh recorded zero visibility. Some trains were delayed under Northern Railways, while flights were also impacted at the Delhi airport. Data from the flight tracking website Flightradar24 showed over 150 flights were delayed on Thursday morning.
The year also began with ‘very poor’ air quality. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was 371 (very poor) at 8 am – marginally lower than a reading of 373 (very poor) at 4pm on Wednesday.
The Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi (EWS) has forecast the AQI to stay ‘very poor’ now in the coming days.
“Delhi’s air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category from January 1 till January 3, 2026. The outlook for subsequent six days – from January 4 onwards shows the air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category,” said the EWS in its daily bulletin.