Delhi Records Coldest January Morning in 3 Years as Temperature Dips to 2.9°C

Delhi and its surrounding regions woke up to the coldest January morning in three years on Thursday, with the minimum temperature in the national capital plunging to 2.9 degrees Celsius. The sharp drop in mercury was accompanied by dense fog, severely reducing visibility across large parts of Delhi-NCR and disrupting daily life.

The last time Delhi recorded a comparable chill in January was in 2023, when temperatures dipped to 1.4 degrees Celsius. This time, the cold spell extended well beyond the capital. Gurugram experienced near-freezing conditions, with temperatures falling below 1 degree Celsius, intensifying the impact of the winter wave across the region.

Several areas in the city remained enveloped in a thick blanket of fog during the early morning hours, with visibility dropping to near zero in many pockets. Commuters were seen navigating cautiously through roads shrouded in fog, while traffic movement slowed considerably in multiple stretches of the city.

The India Meteorological Department issued a district-level nowcast warning of moderate to dense fog over Delhi for at least two hours in the morning. The agency cautioned that visibility at some locations could fall below 50 metres, particularly after 7 am, posing risks to road, rail, and air travel. Similar fog conditions were also reported from parts of Haryana, western Uttar Pradesh, and Punjab, including Gautam Buddh Nagar.

Alongside the biting cold and fog, air pollution emerged as a major concern. Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index stood at 356, placing it firmly in the ‘very poor’ category. Monitoring stations across the capital reported alarming readings, with several areas crossing the 400 mark. Locations such as Chandni Chowk, Nehru Nagar, Pusa, Jahangirpuri, Vivek Vihar, Rohini, Wazirpur, and Punjabi Bagh recorded extremely poor air quality, while other areas including Dwarka, ITO, Patparganj, Okhla, RK Puram, and Siri Fort also remained deep in the red zone.

Weather experts said the region is entering a critical phase of the winter season. A fresh western disturbance is expected to influence northern India from January 15 onward, potentially bringing a series of systems that could trigger heavy snowfall in the higher reaches of the Himalayas and prolong cold wave conditions in the plains.

The cold and fog also impacted air travel. Delhi airport issued a passenger advisory, warning of possible delays due to CAT III low-visibility conditions. Airlines were advised to operate under special procedures, and passengers were asked to stay in touch with carriers for real-time updates. Air India also cautioned that poor visibility in northern India could have a cascading effect on flight schedules across its network.

The IMD has forecast that cold wave conditions are likely to persist over parts of Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Odisha for the next two days, indicating that relief from the harsh winter may not arrive immediately.