3 min readNew DelhiJan 2, 2026 09:05 AM IST
First published on: Jan 2, 2026 at 08:40 AM IST
Delhi is bracing for an even colder spell with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting a fall in temperature by 2-3°C in the next three days. On Friday, Delhi woke up shivering as the temperature dropped to 11.2 degrees Celsius at 5:30 AM. The air quality index (AQI) was at 321.
Delhi on Wednesday recorded the lowest January 1 day temperature since 2019 at 14.2 degrees Celsius.
The IMD said dense to very dense fog conditions very likely to continue during the night or morning hours at many places in Punjab, Haryana Chandigarh & Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Odisha over the next 5-7 days. “Cold wave conditions very likely in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh till December 4; Punjab and Haryana Chandigarh & Delhi during December 2-5; Rajasthan during January 4-7 2026,” the IMD issued the forecast on Thursday.
By December 4, the minimum temperature could drop as low as 6 degrees Celsius in Delhi and surrounding areas as per the Regional Meteorological Centre.
The IMD’s weather forecast till December 8.
The poor visibility due to fog in some cities may also impact flight operations. While the Delhi airport did not issue any fresh advisory on Friday, airline IndiGo warned of flight cancellations along certain routes. “Low visibility and fog over #Hyderabad and #Guwahati may impact flight schedules. We are keeping a close watch on the weather and doing our best to get you where you need to be, safely and smoothly,” IndiGo said in an X post.
“Fog continues to linger over #Varanasi, #Udaipur, #Jammu, #Vizag & #Jaisalmer resulting in slower flight movements. Departures and arrivals to and from these cities, as well as certain routes across our network, may experience short delays as we work through the weather conditions,” it further said on Friday.
Air India said: “Due to predicted dense fog and reduced visibility in Delhi and parts of Northern India tomorrow morning, flight schedules may be impacted, causing ripple effects across the network.”
People huddle around a bonfire to beat the cold in Delhi (PTI). 
The IMD’s weather forecast till December 8.
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