Delhi’s December dawn on December 18, 2025, dissolved into a dismal dusk of dense fog and deepening cold, as a relentless cold wave tightened its vise on the National Capital Region (NCR), driving temperatures to a shivery 2.5 degrees Celsius overnight—the harshest December bite since 2016. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) prolonged its red alert for intense cold day conditions, forecasting mercury to nosedive to 1.8 degrees Celsius by nightfall, with visibility constricted to below 20 meters in the city’s core