IMD New Year forecast: Cold wave alert for north India; rain and snowfall likely in J&K, Ladakh, Himachal, Uttarakhand

• IMD warns of dense fog, cold wave in north and east India till early January
• Visibility to remain low in Punjab, Haryana, UP, Bihar, and northeast states
• Western Himalayas to see rain or snowfall from December 30 to January 2

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Dense to very dense fog is set to persist across large parts of north and east India over the next several days, accompanied by cold wave and cold day conditions in multiple regions, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced.

In its latest weather bulletin, the IMD warned that night-time and early morning visibility will remain severely affected in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and west Uttar Pradesh until December 31. East Uttar Pradesh is likely to continue experiencing similar fog conditions till January 1, 2026.

Foggy conditions are also expected at isolated locations in Jammu and north Madhya Pradesh till December 30, while Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Bihar could see reduced visibility extending as late as January 5, according to the IMD.

In the northeastern states, Arunachal Pradesh may witness fog till December 31, while Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura are likely to remain under fog cover until January 3.

Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and Odisha are also expected to experience persistent fog till January 3, with Gangetic West Bengal particularly affected between December 31 and January 3. Jharkhand may continue to see foggy conditions till December 31.

Alongside low visibility, the IMD has issued warnings for cold-related weather extremes. Cold day to severe cold day conditions are likely to prevail in parts of Uttar Pradesh till December 31. Isolated cold day conditions are also forecast for Himachal Pradesh on December 31 and January 1, Uttarakhand on December 30 and Bihar during December 30–31.

Cold wave conditions are expected to affect isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, west Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh till December 30, while Odisha may continue to face similar conditions till December 31.

Highlighting the intensity of the cold spell, the IMD said the lowest minimum temperature recorded over the plains in the past 24 hours was 2.1 degrees Celsius at Hisar in Haryana.

Meanwhile, weather activity in the western Himalayan region is set to intensify with the arrival of a fresh Western Disturbance. According to the IMD, the system is likely to impact the western Himalayas from December 30 and spread to adjoining plains from December 31.

Under its influence, light to moderate rain or snowfall is expected at scattered locations across Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad between December 30 and January 2. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand may also receive isolated spells of rain or snowfall during this period.

For the Delhi National Capital Region, the IMD has forecast moderate to dense fog on December 30 and 31, with partly cloudy skies. Maximum temperatures are expected to range between 21 and 25 degrees Celsius, while minimum temperatures are likely to remain between 7 and 9 degrees Celsius. On January 1, very light rain may occur at a few locations, accompanied by shallow to moderate fog.

With a prolonged spell of low visibility and cold conditions forecast across multiple regions, the IMD has advised residents and travellers to remain alert to weather-related disruptions in the coming days.