New Year with rain: According to national and regional assessments from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), several regions of India saw cold wave conditions, thick fog, and dramatically declining temperatures as the country entered the New Year.

In many states, the India Meteorological Department issued a warning about below-normal temperatures and heavy fog that would impair vision and mobility.

Delhi saw the coldest December day in six years on New Year’s eve, while Mumbai saw some early morning rains on the first day of 2026. Rajasthan had a similar cold wave, while Guwahati, Assam, had to shut its schools because of a dramatic drop in daytime temperatures.

The coldest December day in Delhi in six years

On Wednesday, December 31, Delhi, the nation’s capital, saw its worst December day in six years as daytime temperatures failed to increase and settled far below seasonal averages, signifying an exceptionally chilly close to 2025. Such “cold day” circumstances, according to weather forecasters, happen when daytime and nighttime temperatures are well below normal. According to IMD, this pattern is predicted to continue throughout early January. Travel conditions were also impacted by shallow fog, which decreased visibility in a number of metropolitan areas in the evening.

Temperatures in Jharkhand drop to 4 degrees Celsius.

Severe cold conditions continued to grip Eastern India as well. According to an IMD advisory, Jharkhand was under thick fog warnings, with temperatures in some areas falling close to 4 degrees Celsius and visibility in some districts falling to dangerously low levels. These circumstances were ascribed by meteorologists to the lower atmosphere’s continued dominance by north-westerly winds.

In Guwahati, Assam, schools were closed.

In order to protect children’s health, officials in Guwahati, Assam, in the Northeast announced a week-long school shutdown due to the precipitous drop in daytime temperatures, according to news agency PTI. Residents were forced to depend on wood stoves and bulky winter apparel due to the challenging living circumstances caused by cloudy sky, sporadic precipitation, and frigid air.

There are mild rains in Mumbai.

Light rains in Mumbai’s Walkeshwar and Lower Parel neighborhoods reduced pollution, according to the news agency.

The low temperature in Rajasthan is in the single digits.

According to a PTI article, Rajasthan continued to experience severe nighttime cold, with Karauli becoming the state’s coldest location as temperatures approached the lowest of the season. This indicates that winter is becoming more intense across the desert state. Jaipur and Jodhpur also had substantially cooler evenings than normal, while other towns in eastern and northern Rajasthan recorded low temperatures in the single digits. Between January 1 and 3, severe to very dense fog is also predicted to cover large areas of northern, western, and eastern Rajasthan, which might affect rail and road traffic.

Residents of Punjab remain indoors despite the bitter cold.

Winter evenings continued to be harsh across Punjab, with numerous cities reporting low temperatures in the mid-single digits, forcing inhabitants inside in the early morning and late at night, according to a PTI report. The region is experiencing unequal but widespread cold stress, as seen by the chilly beginnings of the day in Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Patiala, as well as significantly lower minimum temperatures in certain areas like Gurdaspur and Faridkot. According to the research, Chandigarh, the joint capital, experienced the winter cold as well, reflecting circumstances in nearby regions of Haryana where locations like Rohtak and Narnaul recorded some of the lowest temperatures in the area.

Snow and fog are seen in Darjeeling.

West Bengal, meanwhile, saw widespread cold, especially in its sub-Himalayan regions, where temperatures continued to drop. In higher altitudes, such as Darjeeling, light rain or snowfall was predicted. The IMD predicted that fog will persist over the state in the early hours for a few days.

In the next days, many states, including Punjab, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Bihar, and portions of central and eastern India, are expected to see thick to extremely dense fog, cold wave conditions, and chilly days, the IMD cautioned on a national level. As frigid northerly winds intensify throughout the northern plains, another dip in minimum temperatures is anticipated, even if they may momentarily climb.

Authorities continue to advise care as winter advances, especially while traveling in the early morning and late at night.