Delhi is basically living inside a refrigerator right now. As of Thursday, January 8, 2026, the city just recorded its coldest morning of the year so far, with the mercury bottoming out at 5.8°C at Safdarjung.
The thing is, the sun is barely a suggestion. Icy northwesterly winds are cutting through everything, and a thick layer of “upper-level fog” is acting like a lid, keeping the maximum temperature stuck around 16.7°C.1 That’s nearly 9 degrees below the historical average for January. Or nothing. Let’s be real, when the difference between the day’s high and the night’s low is only 8 degrees, you know the “bone-chilling” tag isn’t just hyperbole. Those too.
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The “Delhi Deep Freeze” Log: Field Notes
It’s an ongoing situation where the IMD has clamped a Yellow Alert on the city for the next few days.
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The “Cold Day” Streak: This is day two of official “Cold Day” conditions.2 Palam is the hardest hit, with a maximum of only 13.9°C yesterday.3
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Travel Chaos: Visibility dropped to 600m at Palam this morning.4 Over 80 trains are running late, and the airport is stuck in CAT III operations. If you’re on the Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani, expect to be over 4 hours late.
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School Shutdowns: The Directorate of Education just extended the winter break.5 All schools are closed until January 15, 2026.6 Parents are basically scrambling to keep kids indoors as the “Very Poor” air (AQI 310-333) mixes with the freezing mist.
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The Forecast: Amateur weathermen are saying we won’t see a “Western Disturbance” (which usually clears the air) until mid-month.7 Expect the minimums to slide toward 3-4°C by the weekend.8
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Delhi’s Reality Check: Jan 8, 2026
[Table: The Chill Factor]
| Location | Max Temp (Yesterday) | Departure from Normal | Visibility (Today) |
| Safdarjung | 16.7°C | -2.3°C | 800m |
| Palam | 13.9°C | -4.8°C | 600m |
| Lodhi Road | 16.0°C | -4.7°C | 700m |
The Air is “Hazardous”
And here’s the kicker: the cold is trapping the smog. The AQI hit 310 today.9 In places like Gurgaon, it’s closer to 394.10 It’s that heavy, metallic-tasting air that just sits in your lungs because there’s no wind to blow it away.
The thing is, the “wind chill” factor is making 8°C feel like 5°C once the sun goes down. Most people are sticking to “Guerrilla Dhaba” spots or huddling around small roadside fires. It’s a sustained, grey, messy winter that’s likely to get worse before it gets better.
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End…
