Dense fog, cold wave conditions persist in parts of North India; Srinagar shivers at 0.4 degrees ahead of Chill-e-Kalan

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘orange’ alert for dense to very dense fog conditions over UP, Delhi, Chhattisgarh and Himachal Pradesh for today.

The weather agency said that similar conditions will also prevail over parts of North India, including, Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, as well as in Bihar, Jharkhand and the North-East region.

VIDEO | Delhi: Dense fog blankets the national capital and the NCR, severely reducing visibility across key areas. Visuals from Connaught Place and Minto Road.#DenseFog #DelhiNCR #WinterWeather

(Full VIDEO available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/A4mONKVnzP

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 20, 2025

A dense layer of fog enveloped Dehradun, the capital of Uttarakhand, on Saturday morning, intensifying the cold wave conditions. The minimum temperature in Dehradun is likely to be around 10 degrees Celsius, while the maximum temperature is expected to reach about 17 degrees Celsius, the IMD has said.

Dense fog is likely to occur at isolated places in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts, as well as in Nainital, Champawat, and Pauri, according to the IMD.

The weather agency has also forecast very light to light rain/snowfall for isolated places in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Pithoragarh districts of Uttarakhand. Snowfall is expected to appear at places with an altitude of 3500 meters and above. Dry weather is likely to prevail in the remaining districts of Uttarakhand.

VIDEO | Dehradun, Uttarakhand: Thick fog engulfs Nepali Farm, lowering visibility and creating a misty morning scene across the area.#Dehradun #FoggyMorning #WinterWeather

(Full VIDEO available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/N5vj7A1zIW

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 20, 2025

The Met Department, in its forecast, stated that cold wave conditions are likely to prevail over interior Karnataka and Telangana for the next two days.

Fog conditions to continue next week

Dense to very dense fog is expected during the night and early morning hours at many places across north and central India the coming week. On the morning of December 20, dense fog is very likely in Punjab, Jammu division, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh, West Uttar Pradesh, north Madhya Pradesh and Bihar.

Foggy weather conditions will continue over Bihar and East Uttar Pradesh during early morning hours of Sunday. On December 22, East Uttar Pradesh may again experience dense fog in the morning, while isolated places in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh could see similar conditions on December 24 and 25.

IMD has issued an alert for dense fog on December 23 across several cities and districts. Thick fog is likely to occur at isolated places in Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar districts, and in the plains of Nainital, Champawat, Pauri and Dehradun districts of Uttarakhand.

VIDEO | Srinagar, J&K: Temperatures drop to 0.4°C ahead of Chill-e-Kalan, the coldest phase of winter in Kashmir. Though slightly above the seasonal average, the city experiences a crisp, biting morning as winter tightens its grip.

Chill-e-Kalan, the great cold, refers to the… pic.twitter.com/S3GG1RSDdl

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 20, 2025

Cold wave conditions

Cold wave conditions are very likely at isolated places over Telangana and South Interior Karnataka on December 20 and 21, where temperatures may remain significantly lower than normal.

Similar cold wave conditions are also expected at isolated locations over West Madhya Pradesh on December 20, indicating harsh winter conditions in parts of central and southern India.