Delhi experienced an intense spell of winter on Wednesday as biting cold and dense fog enveloped the city, making it the coldest December day in nearly four years. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) reported that the maximum temperature dropped sharply to 14.2 degrees Celsius, which is 6.2 degrees below the seasonal average. This marked the lowest daytime temperature recorded in the national capital since December 2020. The minimum temperature also dipped slightly below normal, settling at 6.4 degrees Celsius, adding to the chill that gripped the city through the day.
Data from various weather stations across Delhi highlighted the severity of the cold. Palam recorded a maximum temperature of 13.6 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road registered 13.4 degrees, Ridge 13.8 degrees, and Ayanagar dipped further to 13.1 degrees. Night-time temperatures across the capital ranged between 6.8 and 7.8 degrees Celsius. According to the IMD, the city is likely to witness a generally cloudy sky, with a chance of light rainfall on January 1 due to an induced cyclonic circulation over Punjab and Haryana. If this occurs, it could mark the first rainfall event of the season for Delhi. From January 3 onwards, colder conditions are expected to intensify, with minimum temperatures potentially dropping below 5 degrees Celsius.
Dense to very dense fog further worsened conditions during the early morning hours, reducing visibility to as low as 50 metres in areas such as Safdarjung and Palam. The weather department has warned that foggy conditions are likely to persist for the next five days, impacting road, rail and air travel. Meanwhile, air quality in the capital remained poor, with the Air Quality Index touching 398, just short of the ‘severe’ category. Several monitoring stations recorded severe pollution levels due to stagnant air and low wind speeds that prevented the dispersion of pollutants.
Cold weather also continued to affect other parts of the country. In West Bengal, temperatures fell sharply, with Kolkata recording its lowest minimum of the season at 11 degrees Celsius, nearly three degrees below normal. The chill was more pronounced in the sub-Himalayan region, where Darjeeling recorded a minimum temperature of just 3.4 degrees Celsius. The IMD has forecast light rain or snowfall in the higher reaches of Darjeeling over the coming days and warned that cold conditions are likely to persist across north Bengal for at least a week. Foggy mornings are expected across the state, although southern districts may see a gradual rise in temperatures.
Kashmir also witnessed fresh snowfall in several higher-altitude areas, including Gulmarg, Gurez and parts of Kupwara and Baramulla. Light to moderate snowfall or rainfall is expected to continue over the next 24 hours, with isolated areas possibly receiving heavier snow. Despite this, the region is experiencing a comparatively warmer winter, with night temperatures remaining 3 to 7 degrees above normal during Chilla-e-Kalan, traditionally the coldest phase of the season.
In Jharkhand, dense fog prompted the IMD to issue a yellow alert for multiple districts, warning of visibility dropping to between 50 and 200 metres over the next two days. Gumla recorded the lowest temperature in the state at 3.9 degrees Celsius, while Ranchi saw the mercury dip to around 7 degrees. Meteorologists attributed the cold and foggy conditions to prevailing north-westerly winds in the lower atmosphere.
Across north and east India, the IMD has warned that dense fog and cold day conditions are likely to continue for the next several days. Regions such as Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Odisha and parts of Uttar Pradesh are expected to remain under thick fog cover, while cold day conditions may persist across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal, Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. The western Himalayan region is also likely to witness intermittent rain or snowfall under the influence of an active western disturbance, keeping winter conditions harsh across much of northern India.
