Overview
- The India Meteorological Department said minimum temperatures across northwest India may fall another 2–4°C over the next two days, with Rajasthan’s Fatehpur (Sikar) at 1.6°C reported as the state’s coldest on Wednesday night.
- An orange alert for very dense fog has been issued for large parts of Punjab and Haryana through December 26, with isolated persistence on December 27, as officials warn of travel hazards and cold-wave conditions in several districts.
- Chandigarh recorded the season’s first cold day and heavy transport disruption, with 13 flight cancellations, 35 delays, and multiple trains running hours late as dense fog dropped visibility to around 200 metres.
- Night temperatures in Kashmir fell below freezing, including Srinagar at −2.2°C, and the MeT Department forecast generally dry weather through the year-end with light snow or rain possible around December 30 to January 1.
- Cold sharpened in the east and south as Kolkata logged its season-low 13.7°C and Darjeeling 4.5°C with a further 2–3°C fall expected, while Telangana continued to see single-digit minima and forecasters indicated a modest easing around December 27.