Delhi NCR weather today: IMD puts Delhi on orange alert as dense fog surrounds national capital, AQI breaches 400 mark. Check forecast of Noida, Gurugram

Delhi is likely to witness dense to very dense fog at a few places on December 20, Saturday during morning hours, the India Meteorological Department said. The IMD has sounded an orange alert for Delhi today, predicting dense fog and cold wave across the national capital, reducing visibility on Saturday (December 20). The minimum temperature in Delhi is likely to go down to 9 degrees Celsius today, the IMD said. The alert color codes used by IMD are green (no advisory), yellow (be aware), orange (be prepared), and red (take action). On Friday, the weather agency sounded a red alert for Delhi, warning that fog may disrupt operations at some airports and affect highways and railway routes.

Noida is also likely to witness dense fog today with maximum and minimum temperatures hovering around 17 degrees Celsius and 10 degrees Celsius, respectively, the IMD said. On the other hand, Gurugram will see partly cloudy sky with maximum and minimum temperatures hovering around 18 degrees Celsius and 10 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Delhi NCR weather today

The weather department has predicted "dense to very dense fog" in Delhi on Saturday. The city experienced its coldest December day of the season on Thursday, with the maximum temperature settling at 20.1 degrees Celsius, around 2.1 degrees below normal, making daytime conditions unusually chilly for mid-December. The IMD said Delhi is likely to experience partly cloudy sky today with dense fog at many places, with very dense fog at isolated places, during the morning hours and mist/shallow fog during the night hours. The minimum temperatures will be near normal, and the maximum temperatures will be near normal over Delhi.


The IMD has put Delhi on yellow alert for Delhi for December 21 and 22. The national capital is likely to witness partly cloudy sky with moderate fog at many places with dense fog at isolated places during morning hours.

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Delhi Airport issues advisory

Amid dense fog in the national capital, the Indira Gandhi International Airport issued a passenger advisory on Saturday, as fog continued to blanket the national capital. The airport stated that low visibility procedures are still in progress, but all flight operations are functioning normally.

In its 7:00 am statement, the airport advised passengers to contact their respective airlines for the latest flight updates. "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," said the statement.

Earlier, in the wake of cold weather and dense fog, Indira Gandhi International Airport reported on Friday that flight operations at the airport were affected, though visibility was gradually improving. The passenger advisory added that arrivals and departures were continuing, with some delays possible.

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Delhi AQI turns 'severe'

There was no improvement in the air quality as the residents of the national capital woke up to a thick layer of toxic smog on Saturday morning. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) reading stood at 380 at around 7 a.m., falling into the 'very poor' category, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). However, the air quality spiked to 'severe' levels at certain places, according to news agency ANI.

Several parts of Delhi continued to witness alarmingly high pollution levels. According CPCB, the AQI figure at Sarai Kale Khan stood at 428, while Akshardham recorded an AQI of 420. Rao Tularam Marg recorded an AQI of 403, and the Barapullah flyover area recorded 380. Other pollution hotspots included Anand Vihar (428), Ashok Vihar (407), and the ITO area (429), also falling under the 'severe' category across large swathes of the national capital.

(With ANI inputs)