Brace for a cold start to 2025: IMD issues fog alert, predicts low temperatures in north India

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued heavy fog warning for Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Rajasthan in its daily bulletin on December 29. “Dense to very dense fog conditions very likely to prevail during late night/early morning hours in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh, Rajasthan during 28th-30th December,” it said.

A yellow warning for fog has also been issued for Delhi-NCR.

Brace for a cold start to 2025

Further, it has in the bulletin predicted cold wave conditions in isolated spots of Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, and Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad from December 30 to January 2.

For December 31, IMD said, “Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions likely in a few pockets of Himachal Pradesh; cold wave conditions in isolated pockets of Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan. Ground Frost likely in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh.”

“Dense fog likely in isolated pockets of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim, Assam & Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura in night/morning hours. Cold wave conditions likely in a few pockets of Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana on January 1,” it said.

Further adding, “On January 2, cold wave conditions likely in a few pockets of Punjab, Haryana.”

Delhi Minimum Temperature

On December 29, IMD reported that the national capital recorded minimum temperature of 13 degrees Celsius — six notches above the winter season average. Further, maximum temperature through the day is expected to be around 16 degrees C, it added.

After a day of rain, for Sunday the Met Department predicts mostly clear skies today.

On December 28, Delhi recorded 41.2 mm of rainfall — the highest single-day December rainfall in 101 years, as per IMD data. It added that the highest-ever single-day December rainfall in Delhi was recorded on December 3, 1923, at 75.7 mm.

The recent rainfall also made December 2024 the fifth-highest December in terms of monthly rainfall since records began in 1901, IMD said.

AQI Poor

Delhi's air quality index (AQI) indicator is at ‘poor’, reaching 230 at 9 am on December 29. Notably, an AQI between zero and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’, and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.

(With inputs from PTI and ANI)