Residents of Delhi woke up to a thick layer of toxic smog on Sunday morning. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for a cold wave in Delhi-NCR, predicting a significant drop in temperatures on December 21. According to the Met Office, maximum temperatures in the capital are expected to be well below normal by around 5 degrees Celsius on Sunday ahead of the cold front.
“Partly cloudy sky. Cool day at isolated places. Dense fog at few places with very dense fog at isolated places during morning hours,” an IMD press release said. Prevailing weather conditions indicate the presence of a subtropical westerly jet stream over north India, the Met department said.
Delhi witnessed the first cold wave of the season on Saturday and recorded its coldest day of the year with the maximum temperature dropping 5.3 degrees below normal to 16.9 degrees Celsius. Safdarjung and Palam monitoring stations recorded cold wave conditions as the deviation from normal maximum temperature exceeded 4.5 degrees Celsius.
The maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle around 16-18 degrees Celsius and 6-8 degrees Celsius respectively on Sunday. Due to dense fog and subsequent low visibility, 66 arrivals and departures were canceled at the Indira Gandhi International Airport on Saturday.
Delhi AQI
Delhi recorded an average air quality index (AQI) of 387 at 8:05 am today, falling in the “very poor” range. According to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, 19 out of 40 monitoring stations across the city recorded AQIs above 400, which falls under the ‘severe’ category. Apart from Mathura Road, all other stations recorded AQI in the ‘poor’ range.
Airlines are issuing travel advisories due to dense fog
Air India issued a travel advisory, saying in a post on X: “Weather forecasts continue to indicate dense fog with reduced visibility in Delhi and parts of northern and eastern India tomorrow morning. This will affect flight schedules across the network. We have taken proactive steps to minimize disruption (for more information, please be assured that in the event of unexpected delays, diversions or cancellations, our ground staff will assist you with alternative arrangements.”
Amid the dense fog, IndiGo also issued an advisory to passengers: “Morning fog is expected to affect visibility over Delhi and parts of North India. Visibility may suddenly decrease during these hours, impacting flight operations.”
SpiceJet warned of flight disruptions due to fog and said in a post on X: “#WeatherUpdate (21Dec’25): Due to expected bad weather (poor visibility) at Delhi (DEL), Bengaluru (BLR), Ayodhya (AYJ), Gorakhpur (GOP), Varanasi (VNS), Darbmuhanga (DBR) (AmritsarPAT), JamQ) Bagdogra (IXB), all departures/arrivals and their connecting flights may be affected.
However, the Delhi airport said in its latest passenger advisory issued at 6:00 am that flights are operating smoothly.
