Chandigarh, Jan. 2 -- A dry spell of nearly two months ended in Chandigarh with 13.7 mm of rain recorded on the first day of 2026. The city had last seen rain in the first week of November when 0.2 mm was recorded. India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials said that though rain is unlikely from Friday, a fresh spell of dense fog is expected on Friday and Saturday, for which, an orange alert has been issued. Orange is the second highest of the four-coloured IMD warning system, which asks people to be prepared. On Thursday, while only trace rain was recorded till 8.30 am, showers intensified later. Interestingly, the airport observatory recorded only trace rain, whereas the IMD observatory in Sector 39 recorded 13.7 mm. IMD Chandigarh director Surender Paul said the rain has increased the moisture levels. "Due to lower temperatures, a blanket of fog is likely to form over the city. Further, the Western Disturbance that caused the rain has also disrupted the wind pattern, replacing the cold and dry North-Westerly winds with moist Easterly winds, which favour fog formation," hesaid. The rain also led to a drop in day temperatures. The maximum temperature slipped to 15degC on Thursday from 15.2degC a day earlier, the lowest so far this season and 3.2 degrees below normal. Chandigarh was cooler than Dharamshala, which recorded a maximum of 19degC. The minimum temperature, however, rose to 9.7degC from 8.4degC, remaining 2.5 degrees above normal. As per the IMD's Long Range Forecast, which looks at probability models of global weather phenomena, the city is likely to see below-normal day temperatures this month though night temperatures will remain normal. Rain is also expected in the normal range this month. Despite the rain, the city's air quality remained poor. As per the Central Pollution Control Board's daily bulletin, Chandigarh recorded an air quality index (AQI) of 259, while Panchkula stood at 265 - both in the 'poor' category. Visibility dropped to 800 metres on Thursday morning but improved during the day. A total of six flights, including five departures and one arrival flight, were cancelled from Chandigarh airport on Thursday due to dense fog. The cancelled departure flights were scheduled to Bombay, Lucknow, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Kangra. The arrival flight was also scheduled from Kangra. The fog also disrupted rail services, with long-distance trains remaining the worst hit. The Unchahar Express from Prayagraj was expected to reach the Chandigarh railway station late Thursday evening with a delay of 10 hours and 47 minutes. Premium trains also bore the brunt of poor visibility. The Kalka Shatabdi Express was rescheduled from New Delhi after being delayed by two hours and 40 minutes at departure, eventually arriving in Chandigarh three hours and 38 minutes behind schedule. Shorter routes were relatively better off with theLucknow-Chandigarh (LKO-CDG) Express reaching 32minutes late....