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yesterday

Dense Fog Puts Delhi on Red Alert, Snarls Flights as Air Quality Nears Severe

Forecasters expect very poor to severe air quality to persist into early January with only brief relief possible from light rain.

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Visitors walk along heritage street on a foggy morning in Amritsar on Monday (Sameer Sehgal/HT)
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Overview

  • IMD upgraded its fog warning to a red alert through Tuesday afternoon after visibility fell to about 50 metres at IGI Airport and Safdarjung during early hours.
  • Delhi Airport operated under CAT III low‑visibility procedures, with at least 128 flights cancelled, eight diverted and hundreds delayed on Monday, and fresh cancellations and diversions reported on Tuesday morning before visibility improved.
  • Citywide air quality averaged in the very poor range on Tuesday morning around 384–389 after a 24‑hour AQI of 401 in the severe band on Monday, while several hotspots such as Wazirpur, Anand Vihar and Rohini topped 450.
  • Satellite imagery and alerts showed dense fog spanning much of north and northeast India, as rail services slowed and road travel faced hazardous visibility at times down to near zero on key corridors.
  • Official outlooks indicate very poor air on Tuesday and Wednesday, a likely return to severe on January 1, and continued strain from transport emissions and NCR peripheral districts during what is set to be the worst December air since 2018.