Severe cold wave grips UP, devotees brave freezing Sangam waters at Magh Mela

A severe cold wave continued to affect large parts of Uttar Pradesh and north India on Monday morning with dense fog lowering visibility across several cities Despite the freezing temperatures thousands of devotees gathered at the Sangam in Prayagraj to take a holy dip during the ongoing Magh Mela according to the news agency ANIIn Agra a thin veil of fog covered the Taj Mahal reducing visibility at the Taj View Point areaThe India Meteorological Department IMD has forecast a maximum temperature of around 20 degrees Celsius in the city with the minimum expected to fall to 7 degrees Celsius as the cold wave intensifiesDespite the extreme cold devotees continued to arrive in large numbers at the Sangam in Prayagraj undeterred by the plunging temperatures Pilgrims took a holy dip in the early hours of the morning as the spiritual fervour of the Magh Mela remained strong amid harsh winter conditionsThe Magh Mela of Prayagraj Uttar Pradesh which takes place at the divine Triveni Sangammdashthe confluence of the sacred rivers Ganga Yamuna and the legendary Saraswatimdashis one of the largest pilgrimages in India The pilgrimage is named after the Hindu month of Magh which typically falls in JanuaryFebruaryThe Prayag Magh Mela is a 45day pilgrimage that begins on Paush Purnima the full moon day of the month of Paush and ends on Mahashivaratri spanning the entire month of MaghMeanwhile cold wave conditions were also reported in Haridwar where dense fog blanketed the Har Ki Paudi ghat significantly affecting visibility reported ANIIn Haryana thick fog engulfed Karnal district as the cold wave intensified IMD forecasts indicate that the maximum temperature in Karnal is expected to reach 17 degrees Celsius while the minimum could dip to around 4 degrees CelsiusFurthermore Mumbai also witnessed deteriorating air conditions with a layer of smog lingering over areas such as Wadala on Monday morningDelhi shivers at 29 degrees Celsius amid intensifying cold wave air quality stays lsquopoorrsquoMeanwhile New Delhi reeled under an intense cold spell with temperatures dipping sharply across the national capital Ayanagar recorded the lowest minimum temperature at 29 degrees Celsius according to the IMDSeveral parts of the city experienced cold wave conditions on Sunday night with minimum temperatures plunging close to the threedegree mark Palam recorded a minimum temperature of 30 degrees Celsius its lowest in several years IMD data suggests that similar cold conditions are likely to persist through the dayDelhi freezes at 29 degrees Celsius as cold wave intensifies AQI remains poorRead ANI Story httpstcoS0DzA3w6f8Delhi ColdWave AQI Poor pictwittercom3xpJzv5xZYmdash ANI Digital ani_digital January 12 2026At Safdarjung the minimum temperature was 48 degrees Celsius on Sunday night and is expected to drop further to around 3 degrees Celsius on Monday night The Ridge station recorded a minimum temperature of 37 degrees Celsius while the maximum temperature there reached 188 degrees Celsius as per the ANIFurthermore air pollution levels remained a concern According to the Central Pollution Control Board CPCB Delhirsquos overall Air Quality Index AQI stood at 293 falling under the poor category as of 7 am on Monday This marked a slight rise compared to Saturdayrsquos AQI reading of 291With ANI inputs