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North India cold wave: The IMD has issued warnings for dense fog, cold wave, and frost across north India, including Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh, causing low visibility, flight disruptions, and temperature drops.
Dense fog is likely to continue in Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura, and Bihar (PTI).
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of thick fog, biting cold wave, and frost across several parts of the country over the next few days. With the visibility dropping and temperatures plummeting, residents of north India have been advised to take precautions.
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The IMD has warned of even more fog in coming days. Commuters should prepare for “dense to very dense” fog during the late night and early morning hours. This heavy cover is expected to persist in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh until January 7. Similarly, West and East Uttar Pradesh will remain under a thick blanket of fog until January 5, with East Uttar Pradesh likely seeing a return of these conditions on January 8 and 9. Delhi may also see fog over the next few days.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh | Ayodhya wakes up to a layer of fog as cold wave grips the city. IMD forecasts a minimum temperature of 7°C in the city. pic.twitter.com/6sR8IhNJaO
— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2026
The temperature in Delhi was around 9 degrees Celsius early on Saturday morning, with shallow fog blanketing the national capital for most part of the morning. The temperature rose to 12 degrees Celsius around 8:30 AM. As per the latest bulletin by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature in Delhi could fall to 6 degrees Celsius on Saturday.
Other regions likely to be affected by dense fog include Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura, and Bihar.
#WATCH | Bihar | Amid an intensifying cold wave, a layer of fog engulfed the city of Patna this morning.
Visuals from Boring Road pic.twitter.com/pvlObehkse
— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2026
Cold wave to continue in North India
The IMD has forecast “cold wave” conditions for several northern states. Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi are expected to face these conditions from January 4 to January 6. Himachal Pradesh will also see a cold wave on January 4, while Rajasthan is likely to experience similar drops in temperature on January 8 and 9.
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The IMD predicted a further gradual fall in minimum temperatures by 2-4°C over Northwest India till Monday. “Cold wave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh on January 3 and 4; Punjab from January 4-6; Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi from January 3-6; and Rajasthan on January 8 and 9,” the IMD said.
A red warning is in place for Punjab, Haryana and Delhi, which means the administrations in these regions will need to take action to mitigate any risk. In other regions of North India, including parts of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Bengal, and Odisha, an orange warning will be in place on Saturday.
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Flight disruptions due to fog
The fog in North and East India led to flight cancellations and delays on Saturday as well. The nation’s largest carrier IndiGo said fog-induced drop in visibility could result in multiple cancellations in Dharamshala and may hit operations in Indore and Bhubaneswar.
Air India said its operations could be hit in Delhi and Hyderabad, resulting in network-wide disruptions. SpiceJet said its operations in Darbhanga, Dharamshala, and Hyderabad are likely to be affected due to the bad weather.
#WATCH | Delhi | Several flights delayed and flight operations affected as a layer of fog grips the national capital.
(Visuals from IGI airport) pic.twitter.com/o0N7t5eDoP
— ANI (@ANI) January 3, 2026
The Airports Authority of India said: “Reduced visibility due to prevailing weather conditions at select airports in Northern India may impact flight operations, including delays or extended holding times.”
Rainfall forecast in Tamil Nadu
While most of the country would dry, some southern regions may get rainfall over the next few days. “Scattered to fairly widespread rainfall activity over Tamil Nadu and Nicobar islands,” the IMD bulletin said.
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