IMD warns of chill spike in coming days, mercury may fall by 2-3°C

The national capital is bracing for an intense cold wave later this week. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned that cold wave conditions are likely at isolated places on December 5.

The warning comes on a day when Delhi’s air quality deteriorated further, slipping into the ‘very poor’ category with an AQI of 372 recorded at 4 pm. Dense haze and persistent smog reduced visibility across several parts of the city, worsening respiratory discomfort for residents already battling dropping temperatures.

On Tuesday, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 9.6°C, marginally above normal by 0.1 degrees, while the maximum settled at 25.8°C. The Ridge area was the coldest, with temperature dipping to 9.1°C, signalling the arrival of harsher winter days ahead.

According to the IMD, minimum temperature in the city is expected to fall by 2-3°C over the next three days, potentially pushing the mercury into cold wave range. After this sharp decline, minimum temperature may rise again by 2-3°C in the subsequent three days. Meanwhile, maximum temperature is likely to remain unchanged for the next 24 hours before dipping by about 2°C later in the week.