A toxic combination of dense fog, biting cold and hazardous air quality gripped Delhi-NCR on Saturday morning, dragging visibility down to critical levels and disrupting flight operations. Plunging temperatures and stagnant atmospheric conditions deepened discomfort for residents as the region endured yet another intense winter spell.

Large parts of north India were blanketed by thick fog in the early hours, severely affecting visibility across several states. Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh remained under dense to very dense fog conditions. In Uttar Pradesh, Saharanpur, Ghaziabad, Bareilly, Gorakhpur and Kanpur recorded very dense fog with near-zero visibility, while Lucknow, Varanasi and Prayagraj reported dense fog with visibility between 50 and 100 metres around 6.30 am.

In the national capital, fog combined with toxic smog, sharply worsening air quality and prompting authorities to reimpose Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) Stage III restrictions across Delhi-NCR.

Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index stood at 368 at 7 am, placing it in the ‘very poor’ category, according to Central Pollution Control Board data. Several monitoring stations slipped into the ‘severe’ range, with Anand Vihar recording 442, Patparganj 433, Chandni Chowk 427, Nehru Nagar 423, Vivek Vihar 420 and Jahangirpuri 416. Areas such as Dwarka, ITO, Sonia Vihar and Wazirpur also reported ‘very poor’ air quality, while the IGI Airport area recorded an AQI of 304.

Pollution levels remained alarming across neighbouring NCR cities as well, with Gurugram at 345, Noida at 385, Ghaziabad at 380 and Faridabad at 253.

Dense fog impacted operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport during early morning hours, leading to flight delays. Road and rail traffic also slowed across several parts of the region as commuters navigated near-whiteout conditions.

The India Meteorological Department has forecast dry winter weather for Delhi over the next seven days, with clear to partly cloudy skies and no rainfall expected. Cold conditions are likely to persist during nights and early mornings, with mist or haze affecting visibility on some days. Shallow to moderate fog is expected during morning hours before gradually clearing.

Daytime temperatures are projected to range between 20 and 25 degrees Celsius, showing a gradual rise after January 16. Minimum temperatures, however, are expected to remain low in the first half of the week, with night temperatures gradually increasing to around 8 to 10 degrees Celsius from January 18, offering some relief from the intense cold.