At 5.6°C, Delhi wakes up to coldest morning of season

Delhiites woke up to a bone-chilling morning on Thursday as icy winds swept through the city and pushed the minimum temperature down to 5.6°C, while the maximum temperature settled at 23.1°C, 2.2 notches below normal. The sharp dip marked one of the coldest mornings of the season so far.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), minimum temperature is expected to fall further by 1-2°C in the next 24 hours, before rising by 3-4°C over the subsequent three days. Maximum temperature, however, is unlikely to change significantly for the next two days. Both minimum and maximum temperatures are expected to remain below normal to appreciably below normal during this period.

The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Friday, with isolated parts of the Capital expected to experience cold wave conditions. As per IMD parameters, a cold wave is declared when the minimum temperature is = 4°C, or when the departure from normal dips between –4.5°C and –6.4°C.

On Thursday, Palam recorded the coldest maximum temperature at 20.4°C, while Safdarjung clocked the lowest minimum at 5.6°C, making it the coldest spot in the city in the morning hours.

The IMD forecast suggests that Friday may record a maximum of 22°C and a minimum of 5°C. A slight relief is expected over the weekend, with temperatures likely to settle between 8°C and 24°C on Saturday, and 9°C and 25°C on Sunday.

Amid the chill, the city’s air quality improved marginally. Delhi recorded an AQI of 304 at 4 pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), still in the “very poor” category but a slight improvement compared to earlier in the week.