- By Shibra Arshad
- Sat, 20 Dec 2025 07:52 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Weather Update: A powerful Western Disturbance has triggered widespread dense fog and cold wave conditions across north India, plunging visibility to zero in many areas from Punjab to Bihar and severely disrupting road, rail, and air travel. Several districts have adjusted school timings, while highways have turned treacherous with near-zero visibility late at night.
Alert In Delhi, UP, Uttarakhand, And Punjab
- The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for dense fog in Delhi and orange alerts for several districts in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab. The IMD has advised citizens to avoid unnecessary travel, use fog lights while driving, and exercise extra caution on roads.
- According to the Meteorological Centre, very light rainfall and snowfall are possible at isolated places in Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, and Pithoragarh districts today. Snowfall is likely in areas above 3,500 metres, and the weather is expected to remain dry in the rest of the state.
- Weather Today: Dense fog is likely to persist across almost all parts of Uttar Pradesh from 8:30 am on December 20 till the morning of December 21. In particular, very dense fog is expected to persist in the Terai and Purvanchal regions.
Weather News: Zero Visibility In Multiple Northern Cities
At 5:30 am on Friday, visibility dropped to zero in cities including Agra, Bareilly, Saharanpur, Gorakhpur (UP), Ambala, Amritsar, Bathinda, Ludhiana (Punjab), Gwalior (MP), Bhagalpur (Bihar), and Daltonganj (Jharkhand).
Schools Shut, Highways Hazardous
In Bareilly division, all schools up to Class 8 remain closed till December 20. Meerut and adjoining districts saw thick fog persisting till afternoon for the second consecutive day.
In Agra, morning fog shrouded the city, while Varanasi reported dense fog till 10 am with visibility limited to 100 metres. The Gwalior-Chambal region in Madhya Pradesh also remained blanketed in fog, with the sun invisible till 9 am and visibility below 100 metres.
Authorities have urged residents, especially the elderly and children, to stay indoors during peak fog hours as the cold wave and low visibility are expected to continue over the weekend.