Colder nights in Delhi this month, cold wave likely until January 5: IMD

Very light rain or drizzle occurred at isolated places during the morning hours, while the sky remained partly cloudy throughout Thursday. Easterly to southeasterly winds prevailed, with speeds reaching up to 16 kmph, before weakening later in the day.

The Capital recorded a maximum temperature of 17.3 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 10.6 degrees Celsius, according to the IMD. The agency said that cold day conditions were reported at isolated locations in Delhi. A cold day is declared when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or below and the maximum temperature is 4.5 degrees Celsius below normal.

The AQI is expected to remain in the ‘Very Poor’ category up to January 4, as well as the subsequent six days, according to forecasts from the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

This is largely due to unfavourable meteorological conditions. The ventilation index, which gives an idea of the atmosphere’s capacity to disperse air pollutants, is expected to be below 6000m2/s in the coming days. Along with this, the average wind speed is expected to be below 10 kmph – conditions considered unfavourable for the dispersion of pollutants.

The visibility remained poor in several areas on Thursday, with Safdarjung reporting the lowest at 500 m from 10.30 pm on December 31 to 8.30 am on Thursday, which improved to 600 m by 9 am. Palam also recorded 500-m visibility from 9.30 pm on December 31 till 8 am on Thursday, which improved to 600 m by 8.30 am.

The IMD issued an orange alert, forecasting partly cloudy sky and moderate fog at many places, and dense to very dense fog at a few locations during morning hours on Friday, along with continued cold day conditions at a few places.

Delhi recorded its coldest December day in six years on Wednesday, ending 2025 on a biting note as the maximum temperature plunged to 14.2 degrees Celsius, about 6.2 notches below normal.