‘Smells salty’: Delhiites as roads, cars vanish amid severe fog-AQI cocktail

Delhi weather: Thick fog in Delhi drastically reduced visibility on Monday, with an Air Quality Index categorised as 'severe'.

Updated on: Dec 29, 2025, 13:27:13 IST

By HT News Desk

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The dense haze in Delhi made people go “what the fog!” on Monday as visibility dropped to zero, beginning Sunday evening, in several parts of the city and its adjoining areas like Uttar Pradesh's Noida, Ghaziabad as well as Haryana's Gurugram.

One social media user said this is the “thickest fog” they have seen in Delhi for a while. (HT.com)

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an orange alert for Monday and a yellow alert for Tuesday, forecasting dense to very dense fog under the prevailing western disturbance that began on December 27. Track live updates on Delhi flights here

The cocktail of dense fog and high levels of pollution that has Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) took the Air Quality Index (AQI) on Sunday to the ‘severe’ category, a spike that stayed on Monday morning also with a 400-plus overall AQI reading in the city as well as Noida and 398 in Ghaziabad, 392 in Gurugram.

Many who were travelling on foggy Delhi-NCR roads on Sunday evening and Monday morning took to social media and shared visuals of the choking fog, with vehicles in front hardly visible.

“What the fog! Seems to be the foggiest day of the season yet. This was at 7:20am in Delhi. Damn! The smog / pollution is surely adding to the poor visibility. Be ready for super delayed flights and trains,” one user wrote on X.

Another user said this is the “thickest fog” they have seen in Delhi for a while.

“Visibility is literally a few meters. The Metro Station is literally 50 meters from our house. We cannot see it at all. The worst part is that this smells acrid and salty. There is pollution in this too,” the user wrote.

The dense fog led to massive flight disruptions and also hit train services in Delhi-NCR. Nearly 130 flights were cancelled and over 200 to and from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport were delayed on Monday morning, according to FlightRadar24 data.

The situation was expected to worsen through the day due to cascading delays and cancellations — particularly at other impacted airports.

“At 2.30am, visibility fell to 50 metres at Palam and remained so till 8am before increasing marginally to 100 metres. At Safdarjung, visibility remained at 5 metres till 8.30am,” a separate HT report quoted an IMD official.

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HT News Desk
Follow the latest breaking news, major developments and agenda-setting stories from India and around the world with the newsdesk at Hindustan Times. Operating round the clock, the desk brings together experienced editors, reporters and correspondents to deliver fast, accurate and contextual reporting across subjects that influence public policy, governance, business, society and international affairs. The HT News Desk covers politics, elections, government policies, the economy, business and markets, science and technology, the environment, law and order, infrastructure, education, climate issues and geopolitics, while closely tracking developments across states, institutions and global capitals. The team also leads coverage of major breaking news events, policy announcements, court proceedings, natural disasters, public emergencies and significant international developments. Reports published by the newsdesk are based on information gathered from reporters on the ground, official statements, government agencies, court records, regulatory filings, recognised institutions and other authoritative sources. Stories undergo editorial scrutiny and verification processes to ensure accuracy, fairness and relevance, and are updated as events evolve and additional information becomes available. Whether covering a key political decision in New Delhi, an economic policy shift affecting millions, a landmark court ruling or a major global event, the HT News Desk aims to provide readers with reliable, fact-based journalism that delivers not only the latest developments but also the context and analysis needed to understand their wider implications.Read More

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