Delhi rings in New Year with chilly weather, 'very poor' air; light rain likely

Chilly and cloudy conditions marked the New Year in the national capital on Thursday, with the minimum temperature settling at 10.6 degrees Celsius and the Met office predicting light rainfall during the day.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), trace rainfall was also recorded in Palam early Thursday.

Station-wise data at 8.30 am showed the minimum temperature at 10.6 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung, 9 degrees Celsius at Palam, 10 degrees Celsius at Lodhi Road, 9.9 degrees Celsius at the Ridge and 10.3 degrees Celsius at Ayanagar, the IMD said.

Delhi ended 2025 on a biting note, recording its coldest December day in six years on Wednesday as the maximum temperature plunged to 14.2 degrees Celsius. IMD data showed the last lower maximum temperature was on December 31, 2019, when it dipped to 9.4 degrees Celsius.

The maximum temperature on Wednesday settled at 14.2 degrees Celsius, about 6.2 notches below normal and the lowest this season, while the minimum temperature stood at 6.4 degrees Celsius, around 0.4 notches below the seasonal average.

From January 3, colder conditions may develop as minimum temperatures could drop further, with cold northerly winds from the Himalayan region expected to move towards the national capital, the IMD said.

Shallow fog was observed across the national capital on Thursday morning, with Palam and Safdarjung recording a visibility of 500 metres at around 7.30 am, according to the IMD.

Meanwhile, the air quality remained in the 'very poor' category. The city's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 371 at 10 am, the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data showed.

CPCB's SAMEER app showed that 28 stations recorded very poor air quality, while eight stations were in the severe category, with Sonia Vihar recording the worst AQI at 420.