Overview
- Kashmir recorded widespread sub-zero nights, with Sonamarg at minus 5.8°C, as clear skies and northwesterly winds drove a sharp drop in minimums across multiple states.
- Punjab and Haryana logged single-digit lows, including 4.4°C at Ballowal Saunkhri and 4.9°C in Gurugram, while Rajasthan’s Karauli touched 3.1°C and Odisha’s Koraput 4.8°C.
- Dense morning fog cut visibility and severely disrupted rail traffic in Ludhiana, where more than 20 trains ran hours late, according to railway officials.
- NCR pollution spiked under stagnant winds, with Noida at AQI 409 and Ghaziabad 404 in the severe band and Delhi holding in very poor, according to CPCB data and forecasts.
- Police in Bihar reported four suspected suffocation deaths in Saran during the cold, as IMD kept yellow fog alerts in force and flagged a western disturbance likely to bring wet weather in Kashmir from December 30 to January 1.