Overview
- Citywide AQI readings hovered around 372–382 on New Year’s morning, with several hotspots such as Anand Vihar crossing 400 into the “severe” range.
- The IMD logged the coldest daytime temperature since 2019 at 14.2°C on Wednesday and forecast cloudy skies with light rain potential, shallow to moderate fog, and continued cold-day conditions.
- Flight operations were hit as Air India, IndiGo and SpiceJet issued advisories for low visibility, with Delhi airport reporting around 150 cancellations on Wednesday and widespread delays on Thursday.
- Delhi-NCR remains under Stage 3 of the Graded Response Action Plan, which includes bans on non-essential construction and other curbs to limit emissions.
- December 2025 was the most polluted December since 2018 with average PM2.5 around 211 µg/m³, even as CPCB data show a marginally lower 2025 annual PM2.5 average of about 95 µg/m³ driven by an unusually wet monsoon.