Large parts of north, east and northeast India are set to face a prolonged spell of dense fog and cold conditions over the next few days, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). In its latest press release, the department has issued a series of warnings covering cold wave, fog and thunderstorms for different regions through the first week of January 2026.
Delhi weather forecast
For Delhi, the Met Department has predicted a minimum temperature of around 7 degrees Celsius and a maximum of about 18 degrees Celsius on Saturday, with dense fog likely in the morning. The department has also warned that a cold wave is likely to affect isolated places of the national capital between January 3 and January 6, indicating a chilly and foggy start to the new year for residents of the national capital. The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) hits 240 at 9 am, placing it in the “poor category, according to the data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).
Dense fog to persist over North and East India for several days
The IMD predicted dense to very dense fog during night and morning hours over Haryana, Punjab, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Chandigarh, and Odisha for the next five to seven days. Similar conditions are likely over Jammu, Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Northeast India, and northern Madhya Pradesh for around four to five days.
A more detailed forecast points to dense or very dense fog several locations over Haryana, Chandigarh, and Punjab till January 7, and over West Uttar Pradesh till January 5. Similar conditions will prevail in Uttar Pradesh until January 5 and again on January 9-9 and over Odisha till January 6. Dense fog is also predicted in isolated pockets over the Jammu division and North Madhya Pradesh until January 6. Himachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Tripura, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, and Mizoram until January 7 and on select days over Rajasthan, West Bengal, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, and Bihar, the IMD stated.
Cold wave predictions
The Weather Department has indicated cold weather conditions in isolated parts of Bihar on January 4 and 5. Cold wave conditions are predicted at isolated locations in Himachal Pradesh on January 3 and 4, Haryana and Chandigarh from January 3 to 6, Punjab from January 4 to 6, and Rajasthan on January 8 and 9. Ground frost conditions are very likely in isolated pockets of Uttarakhand on January 3, the IMD added.