A toxic mix of dense fog and hazardous air pollution continued to choke the national capital on Friday, disrupting air traffic and pushing pollution levels closer to the “severe” category, with conditions
expected to worsen over the weekend.
More than 700 flights were affected and at least 177 were cancelled as visibility dropped sharply across the city. Of the cancellations, 88 were departures and 89 arrivals, including two international flights, airport officials said.
The India Meteorological Department issued an orange alert for fog on Saturday, warning of dense to very dense fog in the early morning hours. The Air Quality Early Warning System forecast the Air Quality Index (AQI) to breach the 400 mark, entering the “severe” category over the weekend.
“Dense to very dense fog is expected at several places during the early hours of Saturday. Shallow fog or mist may also occur at night,” an IMD official said, adding that Sunday and Monday are likely to see moderate fog at many locations and dense fog in isolated pockets during mornings.
On Friday morning, visibility fell to zero at the Safdarjung weather station at 5.30 am and dropped to 50 metres at Palam, prompting the IMD to issue a red alert in the early hours.
While Delhi’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 374, firmly in the “very poor” category, morning readings rose to 382, inching closer to the severe threshold of 401. Eleven of the city’s 40 monitoring stations recorded severe air quality during the day.
Vivek Vihar reported the worst pollution levels with an AQI of 434, followed closely by Anand Vihar at 430. At one point, 14 stations slipped into the severe category before marginal improvement was seen later in the day.
Friday marked the ninth consecutive day of very poor or severe air quality in Delhi, despite an intensified vehicular enforcement drive launched a day earlier. Thousands of challans were issued across the NCR, disrupting private transport — highlighting what the Supreme Court of India recently described as a “total failure” of reactive pollution control measures.
The minimum temperature on Friday was recorded at 9°C, nearly one degree above normal, while the maximum touched 22.2°C. Forecasts indicate minimum temperatures could dip to 7–9°C on Saturday, with daytime highs ranging between 21–23°C over the weekend, before cooling further next week.
Meteorologists warned that falling temperatures could intensify the inversion effect, trapping pollutants closer to the ground.
“A drop in temperature strengthens inversion conditions, preventing pollutants from dispersing,” said Anumita Roychowdhury, executive director at the Centre for Science and Environment, speaking to Hindustan Times. “The extent of pollution spikes will depend on wind speed and other meteorological factors.”
Data from the Centre’s Decision Support System showed vehicular emissions contributed 15.72% to Friday’s pollution levels. This share is expected to rise to 17.36% on Saturday and 18.41% on Sunday, despite continued restrictions on older vehicles and those without valid pollution certificates.
December has already recorded three severe air days between December 13 and 15, with the month emerging as the dirtiest December in eight years so far. In November, Delhi endured a 24-day stretch of very poor air, including three severe days.
On Wednesday, the Supreme Court directed the Commission for Air Quality Management to move away from short-term emergency measures and focus on structural reforms, including urban mobility, industrial emissions and stubble burning, stressing the need for coordinated action across Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana and Rajasthan. The matter will be heard again on January 6.
The pollution crisis has been compounded by the absence of rainfall this December. Safdarjung recorded zero precipitation, preventing the natural dispersal of pollutants and prolonging hazardous conditions across the capital.
Delhi Airport issues passenger advisory.
The advisory reads, “Low-visibility procedures are still in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations are functioning normally. Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest flight updates”
Delhi Airport issues passenger advisory.
The advisory reads, “Low-visibility procedures are still in progress at Delhi Airport. All flight operations are functioning normally. Passengers are advised to contact their respective airlines for the latest flight updates” pic.twitter.com/lYDO0H9YVM
— ANI (@ANI) December 20, 2025
