Cold wave conditions expected across Delhi this week, warns IMD as minimum temperatures plummet—check forecast here

The Delhi-NCR region is reeling under a cold wave and with minimum temperatures plummeting sharply, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a warning for the coming days.

According to the IMD's daily weather bulletin released on the evening of 1 December, minimum temperatures in region have "fallen by about 2°C during the past 24 hours", bringing the overall range of temperatures to a chilling 6-8°C.

The IMD went on to note that minimum temperatures in Delhi "were appreciably below normal (-3.1 to -5.0°C)" at several places, and "markedly below normal (-5.1°C or less)" at a few places, conditions that satisfy the criteria for a cold wave, which is defined as a -4.5°C to -6.4°C departure from normal when the minimum temperature at a station is 10°C or less.

For instance, Delhi’s primary station Safdarjung, recorded a minimum temperature of just 5.7°C on Monday, registering a significant -4.6°C departure from the seasonal normal.

The Ayanagar and the Ridge monitoring stations also reported temperatures considerably below the seasonal normal, at -5.5°C each.

"These [minimum temperatures] are likely to rise by about 1°C during next 24 hours and fall by 2-3°C during subsequent 3 days," the IMD said in its daily bulletin, forecasting colder nights to come.

The forecast suggests that cold wave conditions are “likely to persist over isolated places for the next five days.”

For the next few days up to 7 December, Friday is projected to be the coldest, with the mercury expected to dip to a minimum of 5-7°C.

The IMD has also warned of shallow fog during morning hours from Tuesday onwards, something that could compound the chill and cause visibility issues for commuters and flights alike.

Improving air quality, no promise of rain

The IMD report released on Monday did not predict any rainfall for the forecast period, with clear or partly skies mostly expected, along with mist, haze, and shallow fog.

While that may have come as bad news for Delhiites who had been reeling under distressing levels of air pollution for nearly a month, air quality levels showed signs of improvement starting Sunday, when the national capital broke its 24-day streak of 'very poor' AQI, courtesy strong northwesterly winds.

On Monday morning, Delhi's overall AQI stood at 300, in the 'poor' category, marginally worse than Sunday's AQI of 279.

The CPCB classifies an AQI reading between 0 and 50 as 'good', 51 and 100 as 'satisfactory', 101 and 200 as 'moderate', 201 and 300 as 'poor', 301 and 400 as 'very poor', and 401 and 500 as 'severe'.

Full 7-day weather forecast for Delhi

• 1 December 2025 (Monday): Maximum Temperature 26.1°C / Minimum Temperature 5.7°C. Mainly Clear Sky. Mist/Haze during the night. Cold Wave conditions are likely at isolated places.
• 2 December 2025 (Tuesday): Maximum Temperature 25-27°C / Minimum Temperature $8-10°C. Mainly Clear Sky. Shallow Fog during the morning hours. Cold Wave conditions are likely at isolated places.
• 3 December 2025 (Wednesday): Maximum Temperature 22-24°C / Minimum Temperature 7-9°C. Mainly Clear Sky. Shallow Fog during the morning hours. Cold Wave conditions are likely at isolated places.
• 4 December 2025 (Thursday): Maximum Temperature 22-24°C / Minimum Temperature 6-8°C. Mainly Clear Sky. Shallow Fog during the morning hours. Cold Wave conditions are likely at isolated places.
• 5 December 2025 (Friday): Maximum Temperature 22-24°C / Minimum Temperature 5-7°C. Partly Cloudy Sky. Shallow Fog during the morning hours. Cold Wave conditions are likely at isolated places.
• 6 December 2025 (Saturday): Maximum Temperature 22-24°C / Minimum Temperature 7-9°C. Partly Cloudy Sky. Shallow Fog during the morning hours.
• 7 December 2025 (Sunday): Maximum Temperature 23-25°C / Minimum Temperature 8-10°C. Partly Cloudy Sky. Shallow Fog during the morning hours.