Overview
- Delhi logged 2.9°C at Ayanagar and 3.0°C at Palam, the latter its coldest January morning in 13 years, with Safdarjung near 4°C.
- Orange alerts cover January 12–13 as severe cold extends across Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, including sub-zero lows in parts of Rajasthan.
- Dense fog persisted across the region and IGI Airport operated under CAT III procedures, with more than 300 flight delays reported on Sunday.
- Delhi’s 24-hour AQI hovered near 291–293 in the poor band, and the Air Quality Early Warning System projects very poor from January 12–14.
- Local responses included a Gautam Budh Nagar order keeping schools up to Class 8 shut through January 15, while Mumbai’s AQI fluctuated from an unhealthy 205 on January 10 to a moderate 112 on January 12.