The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a major weather alert warning of biting cold, dense fog, cold day conditions, and rain–snowfall across multiple regions over the next few days. According to IMD, cold conditions are set to intensify further in many parts of the country. A severe cold wave is very likely on December 30 in parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, western Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh. Cold conditions are expected to persist in Odisha till December 31, while Himachal Pradesh may experience intense cold between January 1 and 3, 2026.
IMD has also warned of dense to very dense fog in Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh. Similar fog conditions are expected in Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Bihar, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, Odisha, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and Uttarakhand.
Cold day conditions may continue at isolated places in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Between December 30 and January 2, Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are likely to receive rain and snowfall at some locations. On December 30, Punjab, Haryana–Chandigarh and western Rajasthan may receive light to moderate rainfall, The Andaman & Nicobar Islands are likely to experience thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds, while Gujarat and north Maharashtra could experience intensified cold conditions later.
