- By Soumyaroop Mukherjee
- Sat, 20 Dec 2025 01:49 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Delhi Weather: The India Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert owing to thick, dense fog on Saturday in the early morning hours. The Air Quality Early Warning System (AQI) has breached the 400 mark, entering the ‘severe’ category on Saturday, December 20.
Earlier in the morning, a thick, toxic mix of dense fog and hazardous smog from the air pollution choked Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), leading to low visibility and disrupting air traffic at the Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGIA).
“Dense to very dense fog is expected at several places during the early hours of Saturday. Shallow fog or mist may also occur at night," an IMD official said, quoted News18. The official further said that Sunday and Monday are likely to see moderate fog at many locations and dense fog in isolated pockets during mornings.
Delhi Smog: Air Quality Status
The IMD had issued an early morning red alert on Friday owing to the air quality levels in the state. Visibility was completely obliterated at the Safdarjung weather station by 5:30 am, while the Palam station recorded a mere 50-meter range.
Citywide Average: Delhi's 24-hour average AQI was recorded at 374 ("very poor"), though it climbed to 382 during the morning hours, nearing the "severe" mark of 401.
Station Data: Out of the city's 40 monitoring sites, 11 reported severe pollution levels at various points throughout the day.
Worst-Hit Areas: Vivek Vihar registered the highest pollution levels at 434, with Anand Vihar closely behind at 430.
Flight Disruptions Due To Dense Fog
As a result of this dense fog, more than 700 flights were affected earlier on Friday. Furthermore, over 177 flights and 50 trains were cancelled over the weekend. Of the total flight cancellations, 88 were departures and 89 arrivals. This also includes two international flights.