The national capital shivered on Tuesday as mercury plunged to the bone-chilling 3.2°C with the city's coldest morning in three years. It was four notches below the seasonal average, according to the Safdarjung observatory, the city’s main weather station. Delhi-NCR has posted an Orange Alert that warns of "severe cold wave" conditions and dense fog that will continue until Wednesday.
Cold Wave Statistics at a Glance
The latest dry, icy northwesterly wind from the Himalayas has brought frost to many parts of the region:
- Safdarjung: 3.2°C (Coldest since January 18, 2023)
- Lodhi Road: 3.0°C
- Ayanagar: 3.2°C
- Gurugram (NCR): 0.6°C (Sub-zero ground temperatures reported)
AQI: Air Quality Hits ‘Hazardous’
The chill has also trapped pollutants below the surface, while clear skies have contributed to the quick fall in temperatures. Delhi has also seen the Air Quality Index (AQI) sink into the ‘Hazardous’ and ‘Very Poor’ categories.
| Location | AQI Level | Category |
| Anand Vihar | 571 | Hazardous |
| Dwarka Sector 10 | 937 | Hazardous |
| Palam | 355 | Very Poor |
| IGI Airport (T3) | 507 | Hazardous |
Note: Residents are advised to avoid morning walks and use N95 masks, as the PM2.5 concentrations are already 40-50 times higher than the WHO safety limits.
Transport Interruptions: Flight and Train Status
Dense fog has devastated visibility around the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport, where visibility was down to 150 meters as of early Tuesday morning.
- Flights: More than 100 flights have been delayed, with several departures diverted or rescheduled. Airline travel advisories by large carriers including IndiGo and Air India have given warnings. People are advised to check their flight status before departing to the airport.
- Trains: Twenty-five trains arriving in or leaving Delhi are reported to be running late 2 to 6 hours due to visibility in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi being too low.
Relief in Sight?
The IMD said the severe chill would continue to stay until January 14. By Thursday, however, it is expected that a “feeble western disturbance” will affect the region, which can bring a few degrees of warming, bringing the minimum back up to 6 degrees Celsius to 8 degrees Celsius.
