Overview
- IMD reported a minimum of 4.2°C at Safdarjung, the season’s lowest and the coldest January reading in two years, with cold-day and cold-wave risk flagged for Delhi-NCR.
- Delhi’s air quality stayed in the ‘very poor’ range, with a 24-hour AQI in the mid-300s and morning readings near 366 as fog and humidity trapped pollutants near the surface.
- IGI Airport operated under CAT III low-visibility procedures with visibility near 200 metres at times, and airlines advised passengers to check flight status due to possible delays.
- Dense fog caused multiple crashes in the region, including a car–bus collision in Punjab that killed four and separate accidents in Rajasthan that injured dozens, police said.
- Delhi’s peak winter power demand hit a record 6,087 MW as heating use rose, while sub-zero conditions in Kashmir froze parts of Dal Lake and halted shikara rides.