Delhi wakes up to coldest January morning in three years as temperature dips to 3 degrees Celsius
Delhi wakes up to coldest January morning in three years as temperature dips to 3 degrees Celsius
New Delhi:
Delhi recorded its coldest January morning in three years on Tuesday (January 13) as the minimum temperature dipped to 3 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Cold wave conditions and dense fog continued to affect the national capital, while air quality remained a concern, with the overall Air Quality Index staying in the 'very poor' category.
According to the weather department, the capital had recorded a low of 1.4 degrees Celsius on January 16, 2023.
On Tuesday, Safdarjung, Delhi's primary observatory, registered a minimum temperature of 3 degrees Celsius, which was 4.4 degrees below the normal, IMD data showed. Palam recorded a minimum temperature of 4 degrees Celsius, 3.3 notches below normal, and Lodhi Road recorded a minimum temperature of 3 degrees Celsius, three notches below normal. The Ridge recorded a low of 4.4 degrees Celsius, 3.7 notches below normal, and Ayanagar recorded a low of 3.2 degrees Celsius, 3.9 notches below normal.
Cold wave conditions to persist
According to the IMD, cold wave conditions are declared when minimum temperatures fall between 4.5 and 6.4 degrees below the normal. The maximum temperature for the day is expected to hover around 20 degrees Celsius. The weather department added that cold wave conditions are likely to persist over Delhi on Wednesday as well.
Meanwhile, many parts of northern India are set to remain in the grip of biting cold as IMD has issued a cold wave warning for the next few days. According to the latest bulletin, states including Delhi and the National Capital Region, Haryana, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Himachal Pradesh are likely to experience cold wave to severe cold wave conditions. The IMD said the chilling trend is expected to continue through Tuesday, with some regions likely to face prolonged spells of extreme cold later in the week.
In a striking contrast, temperatures in several northern plains have dipped below those in hill cities such as Shimla. The IMD has forecast maximum and minimum temperatures of around 16°C and 9°C, respectively, for Shimla on Monday.
Delhi, however, is likely to experience a sharper chill, with minimum temperatures predicted to fall to between 3°C and 4.2°C. The national capital’s maximum temperature is expected to remain in the range of 18°C to 20°C. While districts like Shimla and Kullu in Himachal Pradesh have not been issued any further warnings for the rest of the week, Delhi is expected to remain under cold wave conditions for the next two days, followed by partly cloudy skies.
Delhi AQI in 'very poor' category
Delhi's air quality deteriorated to the 'very poor' category with the Air Quality Index (AQI) settling at 337, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data. The CPCB's SAMEER app showed that 29 monitoring stations recorded air quality in the 'very poor' category, one in 'severe', and nine in 'poor'.
Several locations in the national capital continued to record AQI levels above 300. Nehru Nagar reported the pollution level at 358, Jahangirpuri at 357, Anand Vihar at 411, falling in the 'severe' category and RK Puram at 365. Patparganj recorded an AQI of 366, Wazirpur 375, Vivek Vihar 366, Siri Fort 342, Rohini 397, Okhla Phase 2 296, Chandni Chowk 380 and Dwarka Sector 8 384, as per CPCB data till 8 am.
An AQI between zero and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor', and 401 to 500 'severe'.
