New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for dense fog in the Delhi-NCR region for Thursday and Friday, followed by a yellow alert for Saturday, as a cold wave grips the national capital region. 

According to the IMD, dense fog is expected to blanket most parts of the capital region during the morning hours on Thursday and Friday, with isolated areas experiencing very dense fog.

The city is likely to witness a mainly clear sky during the day, accompanied by smog or shallow fog in the evening on both days. On Saturday, moderate to dense fog is forecasted across Delhi.

Delhi’s air quality remains a significant concern, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 448 in the ‘severe’ category as of 2:30 am on Thursday. The deterioration in air quality over recent days is attributed to falling temperatures and low wind speeds, which are impeding the dispersion of pollutants.

The AQI breached the ‘severe plus’ threshold at 11 pm on Wednesday, peaking at 450. On the same day, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 23°C, while the minimum temperature dipped to 7.6°C, slightly below the seasonal average. The city’s 24-hour average AQI stood at 433 as of 4 pm Wednesday, up from 379 the previous day.