Delhi-NCR welcomed the New Year in adverse weather conditions consisting of hazardous air quality, heavy fog, and extreme cold weather; however, there appears to be little respite in sight for the affected regions. Despite the change in calendar, environmental and visibility concerns continued to disrupt daily life across the national capital region.
Air quality continues in ‘very poor’ category
Air quality in the capital was definitely operating within the “very poor” category on Thursday (January 1), indicating the persisting nature of the pollution episode. According to the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi, the Air Quality Index (AQI) was recorded to be 382 during the morning hours.
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Such levels are hazardous for health in general, but more so for children, senior citizens, and people with lung disease. This condition has been caused by low temperatures and fog in thick weather masses that do not allow air movement in such a way that particles are dispersed.
Cloudy skies, light rain possible
As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), there will be cloudy conditions throughout the day in the Delhi-NCR region, and there are also chances of very light to light rains at a few places. Additionally, there are forecasts of moderate fog at many places, while dense fog may form at a few places during morning hours.
The IMD also warned about cold day conditions in isolated places, which will continue the intense winter spell witnessed in the latter days of 2025.
Coldest day since 2019 recorded
Wednesday (December 31) was documented as the coldest day in Delhi since 2019. This reveals how intense the conditions for the current winter have become. The maximum temperature remained at 14.2 degrees Celsius, which was 6.2 degrees lower than the average temperature.
Low temperatures during the daytime, accompanied by high humidity and stagnant winds, have been one of the factors causing discomfort and deterioration in air quality.
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Fog prompts Air India travel advisory
The dense fog covering northern India has also affected air transport. Air India issued a travel alert for passengers regarding a possible disruption in air transport on Thursday morning because of low visibility, including in and around the national capital, Delhi.
The airline has advised passengers to check the status of their flights before going to the airport, since fog may interfere with flights on its network.
