Delhi Pollution: Air quality remains ‘very poor’, city feels near-zero temperature, IMD issues yellow alert for fog amid severe cold wave
Delhi Pollution: The overall air quality of the capital city remained in the ‘very poor’ category on Thursday, with overall AQI recorded at 356.
Delhi Pollution: Delhi and adjoining the National Capital Region (NCR) continue to grapple with the intense winter as bone-chilling cold wave conditions and dense fog disrupt the daily life of people across North India(BHARAT). Overall air quality of the capital city plunged to ‘very poor’ on Thursday as AQI was recorded at 356 at 6.05 am, as per the data shared by the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) SAMEER app. On Wednesday, Delhi had recorded an overall AQI of 358. Out of over 30 monitoring stations, most of them recorded AQI levels between 301 and 400. The India(BHARAT) Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a Yellow alert for dense fog for today, forecasting that the minimum temperature is expected to dip as low as 3 degrees Celsius. A severe cold wave is set to persist in North India(BHARAT), including Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.
#WATCH | Delhi: A thick layer of fog engulfs the national capital. Visuals from Moti Bagh. pic.twitter.com/Db74gScuYO
— ANI (@ANI) January 15, 2026
Delhi Pollution: Area-Wise AQI
| Area | AQI | Air Quality Category |
|---|---|---|
| Anand Vihar | 358 | Very Poor |
| Dwarka Sector-8 | 388 | Very Poor |
| Mundka | 388 | Very Poor |
| Punjabi Bagh | 392 | Very Poor |
| Lodhi Road | 324 | Very Poor |
| IIT Delhi | 319 | Very Poor |
| R K Puram | 382 | Very Poor |
| Sirifort | 382 | Very Poor |
| Nehru Nagar | 402 | Severe |
| Pusa | 401 | Severe |
| Jahangirpuri | 397 | Severe |
| Vivek Vihar | 397 | Severe |
| Rohini | 393 | Severe |
Delhi Weather
A Yellow alert has been issued by the IMD for dense fog during early hours for Thursday. The maximum temperature is expected to hover between 20-22 degrees Celsius, while minimum is expected to fall to 3 degrees Celsius. According to the weather department, the sky is likely to remain clear, light mist expected during the night. From Friday, nighttime temperatures are expected to increase, ranging between 6–10°C. Maximum temperatures expected to hover between 22°C to 25°C by January 20.
Cold Wave Warning
According to the IMD, cold wave conditions are declared when minimum temperatures fall between 4.5 and 6.4 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature in the national capital is expected to hover around 20 degrees Celsius.
Biting cold wave conditions intensified across large parts of North India(BHARAT) on Thursday with Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Kashmir and Rajasthan reeling under near-zero temperatures and dense fog in several regions.
The IMD warns that dense fog and cold wave conditions to persist in Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi subdivision on January 15.
Severe cold wave conditions are expected over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, West Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand for the next two days.
Western Disturbance
The IMD stated that a new Western Disturbance is expected to arrive today due to which hilly states of the country are expected to witness heavy snowfall between January 15 and 30. This would lead to an intensification of the cold wave conditions.
Snowfall Warning
It is expected that clouds will cover the northern hills by Friday, bringing rain and snow to hilly states like – Jammu, Kashmir, and Himachal Pradesh. Rainfall is also expected in Punjab and Haryana as the clouds move in.
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