The India Today article, published on January 3, 2026, forecast the weather for January 4, 2026, predicting 'mostly clear weather across India' and an intensifying cold wave. Verification using real-time information reveals that the cold wave indeed intensified across large parts of North, Central, and Eastern India as predicted. Delhi, for instance, recorded a minimum temperature of 7.4 degrees Celsius, with cold wave conditions persisting and expected to affect isolated areas until January 6. Rajasthan also experienced severe cold, with Fatehpur registering a low of 1.1 degrees Celsius. Cold day conditions were widely observed in states like East Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Punjab. However, the headline's claim of 'mostly clear weather across India' was largely contradicted by widespread dense to very dense fog. Multiple credible sources, including The New Indian Express and DNP India, reported extensive fog blankets over North, Central, and Eastern India, significantly reducing visibility and leading to travel disruptions, particularly affecting flights and road traffic. NASA satellite imagery also confirmed a winter shroud of dense fog over the Indo-Gangetic Plain in early January 2026. The original article itself acknowledged the likelihood of 'dense morning fog' in northern and central regions, creating an internal inconsistency with its headline. Regarding rainfall, the forecast of 'no major rainfall expected' was largely accurate for most of the country, with only isolated light rain observed in the extreme southern tip of the peninsula, such as coastal Tamil Nadu and Kerala. Significant heavy rainfall in South India, due to a deep depression, occurred later in January, not specifically on January 4.