Cold Wave and Dense Fog Paralyse Large Parts of India; Snowfall Intensifies in J&K

A severe cold wave, accompanied by dense fog, continued to grip large swathes of north, central and eastern India on Friday, disrupting daily life and transport services, while heavy snowfall persisted in the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir.

In Uttarakhand, Haridwar woke up to a thick blanket of fog as biting cold winds swept through the holy city. Reduced visibility slowed vehicular movement on national highways, with commuters forced to navigate treacherous conditions since early morning.

Across Uttar Pradesh, cold wave conditions prevailed in multiple cities. While Agra experienced relatively lighter fog—offering rare clear glimpses of the Taj Mahal from the Taj View Point ADA—a dense haze enveloped the city itself. Prayagraj, Kanpur, Moradabad, Ayodhya and Varanasi remained under thick fog, with visuals showing residents huddled around bonfires and riverfronts shrouded in mist.

In Madhya Pradesh, Gwalior reported similar conditions as fog tightened its grip amid falling temperatures.

Eastern India was not spared. A dense blanket of fog covered Bhubaneswar, Khurda and several other parts of Odisha on the morning of January 2, extending a severe weather pattern that began on New Year’s Day. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an Orange Warning for districts including Khurda and Cuttack, with visibility dropping to as low as 50 metres in many areas.

The “pea-soup” fog caused widespread disruption across transport networks. Flight operations at Biju Patnaik International Airport were affected, while several long-distance trains—such as the Rajdhani and Neelachal Express—were delayed by three to ten hours. Driving conditions on National Highway-16 remained hazardous. The IMD attributed the persistence of fog to high humidity and low wind speeds.

Further south, parts of Hyderabad reported foggy conditions amid intensifying cold, adding Telangana to the list of states affected by the cold wave.

Meanwhile, the Kashmir Valley continued to reel under harsh winter conditions. Temperatures dipped further as tourists gathered around Dal Lake in Srinagar. Heavy snowfall intensified in the Pir Panjal ranges of Poonch, deepening the winter chill and reinforcing the severity of the ongoing cold wave across the region.

(ANI and yMedia are content partners for this story)