Delhi Rings In New Year With ‘Very Poor’ Air, Cold and Cloudy Weather

New Delhi: The national capital welcomed the New Year on Thursday with ‘very poor’ air quality, along with chilly and cloudy conditions across the city. The overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 371 at 10 am, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

CPCB’s SAMEER app showed that air quality at 28 monitoring stations remained in the ‘very poor’ category, while eight stations recorded ‘severe’ levels. Sonia Vihar reported the worst air quality, with an AQI of 420.

Weather conditions added to the discomfort, with the minimum temperature settling at 10.6 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Other parts of the city recorded similar readings, with Palam at 9 degrees Celsius, Lodhi Road at 10 degrees Celsius, the Ridge at 9.9 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar at 10.3 degrees Celsius. Trace rainfall was recorded at Palam early in the morning, and the Met office has forecast light rain during the day.

Shallow fog was observed across the capital during the morning hours. Visibility dropped to around 500 metres at Palam and Safdarjung at about 7.30 am, the IMD said.

Delhi ended 2025 on a particularly cold note, recording its coldest December day in six years on Wednesday. The maximum temperature plunged to 14.2 degrees Celsius, about 6.2 degrees below normal and the lowest this season. The minimum temperature stood at 6.4 degrees Celsius, slightly below the seasonal average. IMD data showed that the last time a lower maximum temperature was recorded was on December 31, 2019.

The Met office has warned that colder conditions may set in from January 3, as cold northerly winds from the Himalayan region are expected to move towards the national capital.