Delhi shivers at 2.9°C, sees coldest morning of season

Delhi recorded its coldest morning of the season on Thursday, with temperature plunging and cold wave conditions persisting for the fifth consecutive day.

Safdarjung, the city’s primary weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 2.9 degrees Celsius, the lowest January minimum since 2023. The minimum temperature dipped to 1.4 degrees Celsius on January 16, 2023. The maximum temperature on Thursday settled at 19.5 degrees Celsius, about 0.4 degrees below the seasonal average.

Palam recorded a minimum of 2.3 degrees Celsius, while Lodhi Road logged 3.4 degrees Celsius. Ridge station reported a low of 4.5 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar recorded 2.7 degrees Celsius. All weather stations in Delhi registered minimum temperature well below normal, underscoring the widespread nature of the cold wave.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), no significant change in minimum temperature is likely over the next 24 hours, after which a gradual rise of 2 to 4 degrees Celsius is expected over the following five days. Minimum temperature is likely to remain appreciably below normal in the next 24 hours before returning to near-normal levels. Maximum temperature is also expected to stay below normal in the short term and rise above average thereafter.

The IMD has forecast cold wave conditions at isolated places in Delhi on January 16, along with moderate fog at many locations and dense fog at isolated spots. Shallow to moderate fog is likely to continue during morning hours in the coming days.

For Friday, the Weather Department has predicted a minimum temperature of 4 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 22 degrees Celsius, and has issued a yellow warning for cold wave conditions during the morning. Some respite is expected over the weekend, with temperature likely to rise to a minimum of 6 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 23 degrees Celsius on Saturday, followed by 7 degrees Celsius and 23 degrees Celsius on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘very poor’ category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 343, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).