Max 15.6°C, min 5°C: Delhi fights biting cold as sun stays away
The night was coldest in south Delhi’s Aya Nagar, with the minimum a sharp 4°C, while the day was coolest in southwest Delhi’s Jafarpur, which saw a maximum of just 11°C.
The minimum and maximum temperature in Delhi fell to their lowest levels this season on Monday, as a sheet of fog kept the sun curtained for most of the morning, with a cold wave keeping a tight grip on the Capital for the second straight day.
Delhi’s minimum temperature fell to 5.0°C, lower than Sunday’s 5.3°C, and three degrees below normal. The maximum temperature, meanwhile, fell to 15.6°C, down from 16.2°C a day ago, and six below normal.
The night was coldest in south Delhi’s Aya Nagar, with the minimum a sharp 4°C, while the day was coolest in southwest Delhi’s Jafarpur, which saw a maximum of just 11°C.
Monday’s temperature and the sharp deviation from normal meant that Delhi’s weather met the conditions for a “cold day” classification for a second day.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) confirms a “cold day” when the maximum is at least 4.5°C below normal, even as the minimum is below 10°C. This classification is upgraded to “severe” when the maximum drops 6.5°C below normal.
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Delhi clocked a lower minimum temperature in December last year, when the mercury dipped to 3.8°C on New Year’s Eve.
Monday’s maximum temperature was the lowest for the month since December 17, 2020, when it was 15.2°C.
It was also one of the coldest December 26 days, data analysed by HT suggests. When compared against the past records of the gridded dataset, Delhi has experienced a maximum temperature under 16°C on December 26 only thrice since 1951: in 1997 (14.9°C), in 1961 (15.2°C), and in 1973 (15.3°C).
To be sure, it is possible that the ranking according to the gridded dataset differs with data from the Safdarjung station, which is the representative gauge for Delhi’s weather. The gridded dataset includes a larger area than what a particular station covers. For example, while the Safdarjung station recorded a maximum of 16.2°C on December 25, the gridded data showed the maximum to be 15.19°C.
Forecasts by the Met department showed Delhi will likely experience “cold day conditions” on Tuesday as well, even though temperatures will rise in the next three days, thanks to a new western disturbance.
Wind speeds can pick up during a western disturbance, reducing fog, which in turn allows more sunlight to hit the surface.
“Delhi and parts of northern India have been receiving cold northwesterly winds, with sunlight not penetrating the surface, owing to fog at the upper level. This combination has meant nights are cold, with sun not heating the surface during the day,” said a Met official, adding that a dense fog draped parts of Delhi on Monday, with the visibility plunging to 50 metres at Palam at around 5.30am.
IMD forecasts showed the maximum temperature at Safdarjung is likely to rise to 17°C on Tuesday, 18°C on Wednesday and 20°C on Thursday.
Similarly, the minimum too is forecast to rise later this week, touching 6°C on Tuesday, 7°C on Wednesday and 8°C by Thursday.
Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) on Monday stayed in the ”very poor” zone, with a 24-hour average of 331 (“very poor”) at 4pm, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s (CPCB) bulletin. In comparison, the AQI was 308 (also “very poor”) on Sunday.
CPCB categorises an AQI between 201 and 300 as “poor” and 301 and 400 as “very poor”.