Dense Fog Blankets Delhi-NCR Amid Biting Cold Wave; Visibility Plummets To Near Zero

A thick blanket of fog engulfed Delhi and its adjoining NCR cities on Sunday, with the visibility plummeting to near zero as biting cold conditions persisted across the city, leading to delays in flight and train services.

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the capital is unlikely to experience a cold wave over the next four days. However, the weatherman has sounded an alert for dense fog surrounding the city on Sunday.

Iconic landmark areas such as India Gate and Kartavya Path were observed engulfed by a thick layer of smog, with the visibility nearing zero.

VIDEO | Delhi: A biting cold wave and dense fog gripped the national capital, reducing visibility to near zero on Sunday morning. Iconic landmarks like India Gate and Kartavya

Path were shrouded in a thick blanket of mist, as the city woke up to freezing temperatures and a wintry… pic.twitter.com/NSouUNREsp

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) January 18, 2026

A thick layer of dense smog was observed in other parts of the national capital, including the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) Flyway, the Akshardham area, the Barapullah Flyover, the Nizamuddin area, and other regions.

#WATCH | Delhi: Visuals from near the Delhi-Noida-Delhi (DND) flyway and surrounding areas as a dense layer of fog blankets the city pic.twitter.com/9FowC8vZzL

— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2026

#WATCH | Delhi | A layer of toxic smog engulfs the national capital. Visuals from the Janpath Road. GRAP 4 invoked in the national capital. pic.twitter.com/wcTzm0T2V3

— ANI (@ANI) January 18, 2026

A thick layer of smog blanketed the Janpath Road area of Delhi, as shown in the visuals shared by news agency ANI. 

The maximum temperature in Delhi is likely to stay at 22 degrees Celsius, and the minimum temperature is expected to hover around 5 degrees Celsius today.

On Saturday, the minimum temperature in the city was recorded at 4.4 degrees Celsius, 3.2 notches below the season’s average during the corresponding time of the year, said the IMD.

“Minimum temperatures are expected to begin rising gradually from January 17 to 20, with light winter rainfall activity likely over the next few days,” said Mahesh Palawat from Skymet Weather, a private weather forecasting agency, as quoted by NDTV. 

Palawat added that Delhi is likely to experience a cold spell between January 23 and 26.

Flight, train services hit 

The dense fog prompted various airlines to issue advisories, urging passengers to check their flight status and anticipate delays.

According to flight tracking website, FlightRadar24, there was a 35 per cent delay in departures and 27 per cent delay in arrivals at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport.

Dozens of trains were affected by the fog, with delays stretching up to 12 hours. According to the railway administration, among the affected trains are:

12436 Anand Vihar–Jaynagar Garib Rath Express

22362 New Delhi–Rajendra Nagar Amrit Bharat Express

15657 Delhi–Kamakhya Brahmaputra Mail

20802 New Delhi–Islampur Magadh Express

13151 Howrah–Jammu Tawi Kolkata Express

12310 New Delhi–Rajendra Nagar Patna Rajdhani Express

12274 New Delhi–Howrah Duronto Express

13258 Anand Vihar–Danapur Jansadharan Express

19436 Asansol–Ahmedabad Weekly Express

12392 New Delhi–Rajgir Shramjeevi Express

12354 Lal Kuan–Howrah Express

12818 Anand Vihar–Hatia Swarna Jayanti Jharkhand Express

GRAP-IV curbs imposed in Delhi 

With the air quality in Delhi plummeting to the ‘severe’ category, the Commission for Air Quality Management in NCR and Adjoining Areas (CAQM) on Saturday evening imposed Stage 4 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP), a set of short-term emergency measures taken to combat air pollution.

The commission declared a ban on the entry of truck traffic into the city, except for those carrying essential commodities and providing essential services.

Further, in view of the worsening air quality, classes for school students, except for those in Grade 10 and 12, will be shifted to ‘hybrid mode’ in Delhi and in neighbouring districts, including Gurugram, Ghaziabad, Faridabad, and Gautam Budh Nagar.

Notably, existing restrictions under GRAP 1, 2, and 3 will continue to remain in force.

Meanwhile, the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) of the national capital was recorded at 428 on Sunday morning, falling in the ‘severe’ category, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).