Cold wave grips Delhi, dense fog disrupts life across north India

Large parts of north India witnessed intensified winter conditions on Saturday, with Delhi recording its first cold wave day of the season and dense to very dense fog disrupting normal life across several states, prompting multiple weather alerts from the IMD (India Meteorological Department).

Delhi: coldest December day so far

The national capital recorded its coldest December day this year, with the maximum temperature plunging to 16.9 degrees Celsius, 5.3 degrees below normal, meeting the IMD’s criteria for a cold wave day. Two of Delhi’s five monitoring stations — Safdarjung and Palam — registered cold wave conditions.

While Safdarjung recorded a high of 16.9 degrees Celsius, Palam logged an even lower maximum of 16.3 degrees Celsius, 5.6 degrees below normal. The minimum temperature settled at 6.1 degrees Celsius, two notches below the seasonal average.

The sun remained largely obscured through the day due to thick cloud cover and lingering pollutants, contributing to poor visibility. Shallow to moderate fog persisted across most parts of the city, with visibility ranging between 200 and 600 metres during the morning hours.

Dense fog severely affected operations at the Indira Gandhi International Airport, with at least 129 flights cancelled on Saturday. The IMD has forecast dense to very dense fog for Sunday and issued an orange alert for the capital. Maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 23 degrees Celsius and 9 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Uttar Pradesh: ed alert for fog and cold day conditions

Uttar Pradesh remained under a red alert as dense to very dense fog engulfed large parts of the state over the past 24 hours. According to the IMD, visibility dropped below 50 metres in several locations, including Agra airport, Prayagraj, Kanpur (airport), Bareilly and Jhansi.

Cold day conditions were reported across western, central and eastern districts, driven by cold northerly winds, surface inversion and the influence of an anti-cyclone. The IMD warned that:

• Dense to very dense fog may persist till 22 December

• Cold day to severe cold day conditions could continue in isolated pockets till 24 December

• Road, rail and air traffic may face further disruptions during early morning hours

Districts likely to be affected include Lucknow, Kanpur, Agra, Prayagraj, Varanasi, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Noida, Gorakhpur, Ayodhya and Bareilly, among others.

Kashmir: Snowfall forecast as Chillai Kalan season approaches

In Jammu and Kashmir, a spell of wet weather is expected ahead of the onset of Chillai Kalan, the 40-day harsh winter period beginning on 21 December.

The local meteorological department has forecast moderate to heavy snowfall in higher reaches and light to moderate precipitation in the plains on 20–21 December. While the Valley has not seen any major wet spell so far this winter, dry conditions have led to a rise in ailments such as cough and common cold.

Minimum temperatures across Kashmir included:

• Pulwama: minus 3.2 degrees Celsius (coldest)

• Srinagar: minus 0.4 degrees Celsius

• Pahalgam: minus 1 degree Celsius

• Kupwara: minus 0.7 degrees Celsius

• Gulmarg: 2 degrees Celsius

Dense fog was also reported in Srinagar and surrounding areas, particularly near water bodies.

Himachal Pradesh: Fog and snowfall warnings

In Himachal Pradesh, the local Met office issued a yellow warning for dense fog over parts of Bilaspur and Mandi districts. Light snow and rain are likely in isolated areas of the high hills and at a few places in the middle hills on Sunday.

A fresh western disturbance is expected to affect the western Himalayan region from 25 December. Despite the cold, the state has received zero rainfall in December so far, against a normal of 20.5 mm, raising concerns among farmers and orchardists.

Kukumseri in Lahaul and Spiti recorded the lowest night temperature at minus 5.7 degrees Celsius.

Other states: widespread cold and fog

Cold and foggy conditions prevailed across several other northern and eastern states:

• Punjab: Faridkot was the coldest at 4.9 degrees Celsius

• Haryana: Jind recorded 5.2 degrees Celsius

• Rajasthan: Fatehpur logged the lowest temperature at 5.4 degrees Celsius

• Jharkhand: IMD issued an orange alert for very dense fog in nine districts till 22 December, with visibility expected below 50 metres

• West Bengal: Dry weather is likely to continue, with shallow fog expected at a few places; Darjeeling recorded 5.8 degrees Celsius

The IMD has advised people to remain cautious, particularly during early morning travel, as low visibility and cold conditions are likely to persist across large parts of north India over the coming days.