Delhi sees ‘most polluted January day in 2 years’, city shivers at 5°C, IMD predicts heavy rainfall soon

A thick layer of fog continued to blanket parts of Delhi on Monday, 19 January. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted moderate to dense fog in the early hours and "partly cloudy sky", issuing a yellow warning.

"Partly cloudy sky. Moderate fog at many places with dense fog at isolated places during morning hours," read the IMD's forecast for Delhi-NCR in its daily weather bulletin.

On Monday, the minimum temperature in Delhi is likely to hover between 7-9°C and the maximum temperature around 24-26 °C. On Sunday, the minimum temperature in Delhi settled at 5.3°C, while the maximum was 22.7°C.

Heavy rainfall/snowfall on...

The IMD has forecast heavy rainfall in parts of the country around 23 January. "Two Western Disturbances in quick succession are likely to affect the Western Himalayan region during next week with the possibility of isolated heavy rainfall/snowfall on 23rd January," the IMD said.

The IMD's forecast:

1. Isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall/snowfall likely over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh during 18-21 January.

2. Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall/snowfall during 22-24 January, with isolated heavy falls over Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh on 23 January.

3. Isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall/snowfall likely over Uttarakhand on 18, 21 and 22 January and fairly widespread during 23-24 January.

4. Isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan during 22-24 January.

5. Thunderstorm activity is likely over Uttarakhand on 23 and 24 January; Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Rajasthan on 22 and 23 January.

"Very light rain/drizzle accompanied with strong surface winds speed reaching 20-30 kmph likely on 23 January 2026," IMD said.

Delhi AQI

Delhi's Air Quality Index (AQI) was in the ‘severe’ category early Monday, with the overall AQI being recorded at 418. Restrictions under GRAP-4 have been implemented in the national capital as it continues to grapple with a severe air pollution crisis.

The AQI was recorded at 439 at 7 am on Sunday, according to data released by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). "The situation worsened overnight, with the AQI recorded at 432 at 10 pm on Saturday, placing it in the 'severe' category, before deteriorating further by early Sunday morning," the report said.

The city's AQI is expected to be in the 'very poor' range from Monday till 21 January due to a lower ventilation index of 6,000 units, with an average wind speed of 10 kmph — not favourable for the dispersion of pollutants, news agency PTI reported.

Delhi sees ‘most polluted January day in 2 years’

Delhi’s AQI plunged deeper into the most toxic ‘severe’ zone on Sunday, giving the city its most polluted January day in two years and the worst the air has been in the second half of the month since 2019, the Hindustan Times reported.

The national capital recorded an AQI of 440 at 4 pm on Sunday, according to the CPCB's daily bulletin. The reading was significantly worse than 400 on Saturday and the highest for the month since 447 on 14 January 2024, the report added.

It is also the first time the AQI has been 400 or above for two consecutive days in this period since end-January 2016.

All previous peak readings in January, including the all-time high of 460 recorded on 15 January 2021, were from the first half of the month. The city did not record a single severe air day in January last year.

Sunday also marked Delhi's first severe air quality day of the year and the first since 29 December 2025, when the reading was 401. It was also the second-worst this winter, after a peak of 461 on 14 December, the Times of India reported.