Delhi’s air quality deteriorated sharply on December 26, with the AQI surging to a hazardous 566 just days after GRAP-4 curbs were lifted, amid chilly, misty weather and poor visibility affecting daily life and travel.
Air pollution levels in Delhi deteriorated sharply on Friday, December 26 and moved dangerously close to the “hazardous” category as the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 566. This comes just days after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) revoked Stage IV of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR and adjoining areas.
This marked a significant deterioration from the ‘poor’ AQI of 234 recorded on Thursday (December 25, 2025), which led to the removal of GRAP stage IV restrictions, which were enforced after pollution levels breached the 450 mark in Delhi and adjoining areas. However, with air quality showing improvement earlier this week, authorities lifted the strictest restrictions, though residents had been advised to stay cautious as dense fog and poor visibility are expected to persist this week, potentially disrupting flights and daily road travel.
As per the CPCB classification, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered ‘good’, 51 and 100 ‘satisfactory’, 101 and 200 ‘moderate’, 201 and 300 ‘poor’, 301 and 400 ‘very poor’ and 401 and 500 ‘severe’.
Delhi Weather Forecast
On the weather front, Delhi woke up to chilly and misty conditions on Thursday morning, with the temperature hovering around 10°C. High humidity at 94% added to the discomfort, reducing visibility across parts of the city.
Weather officials said that the mist likely to persist through the early hours, potentially affecting road and air travel before gradual improvement later in the day.
Delhi Flight Status
Flight operations in Delhi, which were disrupted last week due to poor visibility, have largely returned to normal over the past few days, with no major delays or cancellations reported. However, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a Yellow Alert for dense fog towards the end of the week, warning that runway visibility could drop and affect flight schedules.
