Delhi-NCR Faces Fog, Cold And Severe Air Pollution; Air And Rail Traffic Disrupted On New Year's Day

New Delhi: Dense fog, chilly weather and air pollution continue to disrupt normal life across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR) on Thursday, the first day of the New Year. The conditions triggered air and rail disruptions, leaving passengers stranded. The minimum temperature settled at 10.6 degrees Celsius in Delhi, with the Met office predicting light rainfall during the day.

Flight operations were cancelled or delayed at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport due to poor visibility, prompting airlines to issue advisories for passengers, cautioning travellers to remain alert and check flight updates to avoid inconvenience.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), trace rainfall was also recorded in Palam early Thursday. Station-wise data at 8.30 am showed the minimum temperature at 10.6 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, 9 degrees Celsius at Palam, 10 degrees Celsius at Lodhi Road, 9.9 degrees Celsius at the Ridge and 10.3 degrees Celsius at Ayanagar, the IMD said.

Delhi ended 2025 on a biting note, recording its coldest December day in six years on Wednesday as the maximum temperature plunged to 14.2 degrees Celsius. IMD data showed the last lower maximum temperature was on December 31, 2019, when it dipped to 9.4 degrees Celsius.

The maximum temperature on Wednesday settled at 14.2 degrees Celsius, about 6.2 notches below normal and the lowest this season, while the minimum temperature stood at 6.4 degrees Celsius, around 0.4 notches below the seasonal average.

From January 3, colder conditions may develop as minimum temperatures could drop further, with cold northerly winds from the Himalayan region expected to move towards the national capital, the IMD said.

Shallow fog was observed across the national capital on Thursday morning, with Palam and Safdarjung recording a visibility of 500 metres at around 7.30 am, according to the IMD.

Meanwhile, the air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category. The city's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 371 at 10 am, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.

This made Delhi the most polluted city in the country on Thursday. Noida (AQI 364) came in second, while Ghaziabad (338) and Greater Noida (336) also made the list of cities with extremely poor air quality.

CPCB's SAMEER app showed that 28 stations recorded very poor air quality, while eight stations were in the severe category, with Sonia Vihar recording the worst AQI at 420.

Passengers wait at Delhi's IGI Airport (ETV Bharat)

Trains delay at New Delhi Railway Station

Notable delays include Shri Ganganagar-Tilak Bridge Express, Karnataka Superfast Express, Geeta Jayanti Express, Shivganga Superfast Express, Intercity Express (14211), Howrah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Hazur Sahib Nanded-Amritsar Superfast Express, Intercity Express (14315), Bhubaneswar-New Delhi Tejas Rajdhani Express, Sealdah-Bikaner Duronto Express: 1 hr 37 min late, Sealdah-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani Express, Sachkhand Express, Magadh Express, Ranchi–New Delhi Rajdhani Express and Rajendra Nagar Terminal–New Delhi Amrit Bharat Express

Trains delayed at Anand Vihar, Hazrat Nizamuddin stations

• Jharkhand Swarn Jayanti Express: 1 hr 27 min late
• Arunachal AC Superfast Express: 42 min late
• Karnataka Superfast Express: 1 hr 12 min late
• Intercity Express (14211): 1 hr 31 min late
• Secunderabad–Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express: 1 hr 21 min late
• Karnataka Sampark Kranti Express: 1 hr 9 min late
• Shridham Superfast Express: 1 hr 8 min late
• Mahakaushal Express: 2 hrs 47 min late
• Mangaluru Lakshadweep Superfast Express: 1 hr 13 min late

Chief Public Relations Officer of Northern Railway, Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, said that dense fog had enveloped North India, significantly reducing visibility.

“In such conditions, locomotive pilots cannot see the signals from a distance, so trains have to run at a slower speed to prioritise safety. This is why train operations are being affected, but there can be no compromise on passenger safety,” he said.

Air traffic impact

Cancelled flights

• IndiGo Delhi-Mumbai flight 6E 9053 (January 1)
  • SpiceJet Delhi-Dharamshala flight SG 2941

Delayed flights

• SpiceJet Delhi-Darbhanga flight SG 495
• Delhi-Varanasi flight SG 9718
• Delhi-Mumbai flights SG 668 and SG 664

(With inputs from agencies)

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