Weather WARNING: Rain in Delhi? Dense fog grips NCR, Orange alert, cold wave in Punjab and Haryana, snowfall in hilly states — check IMD forecast

Weather Forecast: Dense fog gripped North India including Delhi-NCR, parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana. The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for dense fog. Check weather update here.

Weather Forecast: Residents of Delhi and adjoining National Capital Region (NCR) woke up to dense smog on Monday. The dense blanket of smog that blanketed the entire NCR region reduced the visibility to near-zero and slowed early-morning traffic across the city. The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for the dense fog, alerting people to remain cautious while driving vehicles. The nighttime temperature has further plunged to 8.2 degrees Celsius. The overall air quality in the national capital remained in the “Severe Plus” category, surpassing the 450 mark. Cold wave gripped North India with major cities like Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi feeling the winter chills.

Dense Fog

The Meteorological Department has issued an alert for the dense fog that engulfs parts of Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana and Delhi. As per the forecast, dense fog is expected in most parts of Punjab, Haryana on December 15-16 and in North Eastern India from December 15 to 19, in Himachal from December.

#WATCH | A thick layer of smog engulfs the National Capital. Visuals from the Barapullah flyover. AQI here is 433, categorised as ‘severe’ as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) pic.twitter.com/3FX7wR5LQx

— ANI (@ANI) December 15, 2025

Delhi Air Quality

The capital city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) plunged to “Severe Plus” category, crossing the 456 mark. Air quality monitor recorded an AQI of 500 in Ashok Vihar area in the early hours of Monday. Anand Vihar and Akshardham areas recorded the air quality index above 490, placing the areas in ‘Severe’ category. In Dwarka, the AQI stood at 469.

North India Weather Forecast

As per the weather department, a western disturbance is developing on December 17th. Cloudy skies are expected in parts of North India including the Delhi-NCR region, Haryana, Punjab, and Rajasthan. The current weather condition is expected to worsen air pollution and increasing smog. However, the situation may see some improvement starting Tuesday.

A weak western disturbance led to overcast skies in #Delhi NCR, #Haryana, #Punjab and #Rajasthan.
These WD are of no help, they make atmosphere unstable by blocking the flow of NW winds.
Underneath the cloud cover it traps pollution with no scope of escape. Severe #AQI levels to… pic.twitter.com/0NJNTGPtn4

— Weatherman Navdeep Dahiya (@navdeepdahiya55) December 14, 2025

Chances Of Rain In Delhi

IMD has predicted cloudy skies, but there is no chance of rain in the region. However, dense fog will prevail in the capital city during midnight and early morning.

Cold To Increase In North India

The Meteorological Department has forecasted that mercury is expected to drop by two degrees in the next 48 hours. This development will bring the overall night time temperature of North India down by 1.5 to 2 degrees. However, the weather department stated that the maximum temperatures will not see much of a drop.

Snowfall In Hilly States

Severe cold conditions gripped hilly statess such as Himachal Pradesh and Kashmir. The temperature in Shopian recently dropped to 4.2 degrees Celsius, making it the coldest place. The higher areas of Kashmir witnessed light snowfall in recent days. The snowfall on December 9 made the Srinagar-Leh national highway slippery. Cold wave conditions have intensified in tribal regions of Himachal Pradesh as Rohtang Pass and other upper areas received snow last Monday. Due to the poor weather conditions, authorities closed the Manali-Leh road for vehicles beyond Darcha.