Clouds, winds lift fog curtain; orange alert looms for New Year
The weather remains dry across Punjab and Haryana over the past 24 hours, but dense to very dense fog is recorded at most places in Punjab and at a few places in Haryana
Moderate winds cleared a two-day dense-to-very-dense fog spell across Chandigarh, Mohali and Panchkula on Wednesday, as the tricity woke up to a cloudy, breezy day, even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) sounded a fresh round of fog, thunderstorm and cold wave alerts around New Year.
According to the IMD, weather remained dry across Punjab and Haryana over the past 24 hours, but dense to very dense fog was recorded at most places in Punjab and at a few places in Haryana before winds helped improve visibility in the tricity.
In Chandigarh, dense fog persisted in multiple spells from Tuesday morning through early Wednesday, easing only after moderate winds set in.
Day temperatures dipped sharply as Chandigarh city recorded a maximum of 15.2°C, a steep 3.2°C fall over the previous day, leaving it 4.6°C below normal, while the night temperature inched up marginally to 8.4°C, staying 1.7°C above normal. At the airport station, the maximum settled at 15.8°C and the minimum at 6.8°C. Relative humidity remained high, peaking at 96% and dropping to around 60%, ideal conditions for fog formation.
Over the last 24 hours, Chandigarh recorded a maximum of 18.4°C earlier before the sharp fall, while the minimum stood at 8.4°C. Winds were mostly light and variable, turning southeast to northwest at 3-8 kmph, a shift that helped disperse fog temporarily. No rain was recorded.
Across the region, the highest maximum was 17.4°C at Bathinda, while the lowest minimum in Punjab dipped to 5.2°C at Gurdaspur. In Haryana, Mahendragarh reported the highest maximum at 19.3°C, while Gurugram shivered at 3.6°C, the lowest minimum in the state.
New Year forecast
The IMD has issued an orange alert for Thursday (New Year Day), warning of dense to very dense fog at a few places, along with thunderstorm and lightning at isolated locations, accompanied by light rain in parts of the tricity. The sky is expected to remain partly cloudy, with day temperatures hovering around 15-16°C and nights near 8°C.
An orange alert continues on Friday and Saturday for dense to very dense fog at a few places and cold wave conditions at isolated places. The chill is expected to intensify as minimum temperatures drop to 6°C, while maximums stay muted around 17°C.
The alert level eases to yellow on Sunday, though dense to very dense fog and cold wave at isolated places are still likely. Dense fog is forecast to persist at isolated spots on Monday and Tuesday, even as weather largely stays dry.
Hills vs plains
While the plains grappled with fog and suppressed day temperatures, nearby hill stations such as Shimla continued to witness colder nights but relatively clearer air, with the absence of dense fog episodes that have plagued the plains. The contrast underlines the role of moisture-laden air trapped over the Indo-Gangetic plains, exacerbating fog conditions in the tricity and surrounding districts.
Outlook
With fog and cold tightening their grip and a brief New Year thunderstorm window, authorities have advised caution during early morning and late-night travel, as visibility may drop sharply again in the coming days.
Chandigarh goes bone-dry
Chandigarh recorded zero rainfall in December 2025, against a normal of 15.6 mm, marking a 100% deficit. This is the first completely dry December since 2013, when the city had last seen a similar anomaly.
