The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that large parts of the country are likely to witness dense to very dense fog and intensified cold wave conditions over the next four to five days, with minimum temperatures expected to drop further across north and central India.

❄️ Temperature fall ahead

• The IMD has forecast a gradual fall of 2–3°C in minimum temperatures over northwest India during the next four days.
• Minimum temperatures across many parts of north and central India are already well below normal.
• The lowest minimum temperature in the plains was recorded at Etawah, Uttar Pradesh, at 2.4°C.

🌫️ Dense fog alert

Dense fog during morning hours is likely to continue across:

• Northwest India
• Central India
• East and Northeast India

Over the past 24 hours (ending 8.30 am on January 5), dense to very dense fog reduced visibility to below 50 metres in parts of eastern Uttar Pradesh. Visibility dropped to zero metres at several locations, including Gorakhpur, Gwalior and Jabalpur. Isolated pockets of Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and Uttarakhand also reported dense fog.

🥶 Cold day and cold wave conditions

• Cold day conditions are likely in isolated areas of:
  • Eastern Rajasthan (Jan 5–7)
  • Jharkhand (Jan 5)
  • Western Rajasthan and sub-Himalayan West Bengal (Jan 5–7)
  • Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Gangetic West Bengal (Jan 5–6)
• Cold wave conditions are expected in parts of:
  • Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh (Jan 6–9)
  • Eastern Rajasthan (Jan 6–10)
  • Western Rajasthan (Jan 8–10)
  • Chhattisgarh (Jan 6–8)
  • Jharkhand (Jan 6–7)

Cold to severe cold day conditions were already observed in isolated areas of eastern Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, while ground frost was reported at a few places in Uttarakhand.

❄️ Rain and snowfall in the hills

The IMD said ongoing western disturbances and strong upper-level westerly winds are shaping current weather patterns.

• Light to moderate rain or snowfall is likely over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand over the next two days.
• Light snowfall has already been reported in isolated areas of Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Sikkim.
• Ground frost may continue in parts of Uttarakhand on January 5 and 6.

🌧️ South India forecast

• Tamil Nadu may see light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning on January 8 and 9.
• Heavy rainfall at isolated places is likely over Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Mahe on January 9 and 10.

⚠️ What to expect

With fog, cold waves and frost conditions persisting, the IMD has advised caution, especially for early-morning travel, vulnerable populations, farmers and hill-region residents. Disruptions to road, rail and air traffic may continue in fog-affected regions over the coming days.