Cold wave to intensify in Delhi-NCR; air quality improves

New Delhi, Jan 2 (IANS) Winter conditions in Delhi and adjoining areas of the National Capital Region (NCR) are set to intensify, with the weather department forecasting cold wave conditions in the coming days. Even as temperatures are expected to drop further, the city has seen a noticeable improvement in air quality on Friday.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), cold wave conditions are likely to prevail at isolated locations in Delhi between January 2 and 5. A cold wave is declared when the minimum temperature falls between 4.5 and 6.5 degrees Celsius below the normal average.

The IMD also said that dense to very dense fog is likely to persist during the night and early morning hours at many places in Delhi until January 6. Similar cold-wave conditions have been forecast for Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi till January 5.

Although temperatures continued to dip, air quality in the national capital showed marginal improvement. The Air Quality Index (AQI) in Delhi stood at 386 on Friday, according to pollution control authorities. However, dense fog and smog reduced visibility across several parts of the city, disrupting daily life and prompting airlines to issue advisories.

According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI remained in the ‘very poor’ category at 380. As many as 26 monitoring stations recorded ‘very poor’ air quality, while 11 stations fell in the ‘severe’ category. Anand Vihar reported the worst AQI at 423.

Area-wise AQI readings were as follows: Dwarka Sector 8: 338; IGI Airport: 259; ITO (CPCB): 326; JLN Stadium: 362; Mundka: 347; NSIT Dwarka (CPCB): 411.

Neighbouring cities also reported improved air quality. Noida recorded an AQI of 299, placing it in the ‘poor’ category. Gurugram registered an AQI of 232, while Faridabad stood at 220 -- both also in the ‘poor’ range. Ghaziabad recorded an AQI of 300. Overall, all NCR cities marked an improvement in pollution levels.

Air India and IndiGo issued advisories warning that flight schedules may be impacted due to dense fog and reduced visibility. IndiGo said some flights were cancelled in advance to minimise passenger inconvenience.

The status report on operations at IGI Airport at 07.30 a.m. mentioned that CAT I operations were in progress, visibility was at 1,300 metres, the number of diversions was nil, and all operations remained normal.

Delhi recorded its coldest December day since 2019 on December 31, 2025, when the maximum temperature dropped to 14.2 degrees Celsius, around 6.2 degrees below normal.