Cold Days Ahead For Delhi: Temperature May Plunge To Under Five Degree Next Week
Key Takeaways
- Delhi temperatures are set to fall sharply over the next 5–7 days, with bitter cold conditions ahead.
- December 2025 ended as one of the coldest in recent years, with multiple records broken.
- Active western disturbances are driving snowfall in the hills and cooling across the plains.
- Dense fog and sub-5°C minimum temperatures are likely to return to the capital.
The national capital is likely to witness a significant decrease in mercury levels over the next about seven days. Base station Safdarjung recorded a low of 9.1°C this morning, a drop of 1.5°C from yesterday, but still above normal by over 2°C. Day temperatures have been hovering well below normal for the last two days. The meteorological office at Lodi Road registered cold day conditions for the second consecutive day and recorded a maximum temperature of 15.5°C, about 5°C below normal. Day temperatures are expected to rise and reach close to 20°C today.
Earlier, the month of December 2025 was colder than normal. The capital city, under persistent dry weather conditions, recorded single-digit minimum temperatures on 27 days during the month. The lowest minimum of 5.6°C was registered on 04th and 05th December 2025. The last day of the year, 31st December 2025, was the coldest day of this season, with a maximum temperature of 14.2°C, over 6°C below normal. This was the coldest day of the last four years; earlier, the mercury had plunged to 12.1°C on 26th January 2022. Incidentally, this also turned out to be the coldest December day of the last six years. Prior to this, the city had recorded 9.4°C on 31st December 2019.
January is the coldest month on record for the national capital. The average minimum temperature for the month stands at 7.5°C, as against 8.4°C for December. The minimum temperature has dipped below 5°C during the month consistently since January 2011. During this period, the minimum temperature dropped below 2°C in 2013 (1.9°C), 2021 (1.1°C), and 2023 (1.4°C). The lowest temperature for the month can occur on any day, irrespective of whether it is at the beginning or end of the month.
Under the influence of an active western disturbance across the mountains and an induced circulation over the plains, there has been fairly widespread snowfall in the hills and scattered winter showers over the plains of North India. Delhi also witnessed light drizzle in some parts on New Year’s Eve. Following partial improvement in the hills over the next three days and complete clearance thereafter, cold conditions are likely to intensify across both the hills and plains. Minimum temperatures over Delhi will continue to fall over the next 5–6 days. There is a fair chance of the mercury plunging to ≤5°C during this period. Dense fog is also likely to return during this time. Cold conditions, in general, are expected to turn bitter over the next one week. Exercise caution.
