Dense fog blankets Delhi, Ghaziabad, Noida; visibility almost nil in some areas

DElhi and the subject working capital neighborhood (NCR) woke up to another overwinter morning time under a blanket of smog on Tuesday, with visibility in parts of Ghaziabad and Noida slipping to as low as zero. Visibility dropped sharply at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport early morning, with India Meteorological Department (IMD) observations showing the general visibility at just 50 metres at 8:00 am IST.Meanwhile, air quality slipping deeper into the ‘severe’ zone in the capital city. By 8 am, the Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 414, data from the Central Pollution Control Board’s Sameer app showed.The hazardous air came alongside light foggy conditions across the city, making for poor visibility during early morning hours. Forecasts suggest little immediate relief, with air quality expected to hover in unhealthy zones over the next few days.According to projections by the ‘Air Quality Early Warning System’ for Delhi, the AQI is set to remain troubling through the Christmas period. “Delhi’s air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category from December 22 till December 24. The outlook for the subsequent six days – from December 25 onwards shows the AQI is likely to be between ‘very poor’ and ‘severe’,” the system said.Fog to persist over the next few daysThe IMD said weather conditions will continue to favour fog formation in the mornings. In its latest bulletin, the IMD said the sky is expected to remain partly cloudy over the next 24 hours, turn mainly clear for the following three days, and then become partly cloudy again.“Shallow fog during morning hours on 24th & 25th December 2025. Moderate fog is likely to prevail during morning hours thereafter,” the bulletin added.The weather office had forecast dense to very dense fog at a few places over Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, with dense fog at isolated locations in Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Haryana, Chandigarh and Rajasthan.Delhi temperatures inch up slightlyWhile pollution and fog remain dominant concerns, temperatures have seen only marginal changes. Officials noted a rise of about 1–2 degrees Celsius in maximum temperatures over the past 24 hours, with minimum temperatures largely steady.The maximum temperature in Delhi hovered between 16°C and 18°C, while the minimum ranged from around 8°C to 11°C.Flights hit as visibility dropsThe fog has already disrupted travel across north India. On Sunday, more than 500 flights were delayed and at least 107 cancelled as dense fog spread across the northern plains. An official said disruptions are likely to continue till Tuesday due to a prevailing western disturbance that has brought fresh snowfall to parts of Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh. “As the impact weakens from Wednesday, wind speeds will pick up and fog intensity will reduce,” the official said.