At 1.9 degrees Celsius, Delhi’s Safdarjung records season’s lowest temperature

This is the fourth consecutive coldwave day for Delhi. A coldwave is declared in the region when the minimum temperature is 4.5 degrees or more below the normal mark, or when it drops to 4 degrees or lower

A coldwave continued to prevail in the national capital, with Safdarjung, representational of Delhi’s weather, recording a minimum temperature of 1.9 degrees Celsius on Sunday morning– five degrees below normal and the lowest minimum so far this winter. Safdarjung recorded a minimum of 2.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday, which, before today, was the season’s lowest.

People huddle around a bonfire to warm themselves on a cold evening at Yamuna Bazar area in New Delhi (HT Photo)

This is Delhi’s lowest minimum in two years since 1.1 degrees Celsius was recorded on January 1, 2021, and the joint-second lowest in the last 15 years. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday raised an orange alert for the day, forecasting both coldwave and cold day conditions.

Delhi also recorded ‘very dense’ to ‘dense’ fog on Saturday night and in the early hours of Sunday, with dense fog at Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport for seven hours between 2:30 am and 9:30 am, leading to a delay of over 50 flights, according to airport authorities. Similarly, 42 trains were delayed, northern railway data showed.

This is the fourth consecutive coldwave day for Delhi. A coldwave is declared in the region when the minimum temperature is 4.5 degrees or more below the normal mark, or when it drops to 4 degrees or lower.

Forecasts show Delhi is likely to have another coldwave day on Monday, with the minimum expected to be around 3 degrees Celsius.

“Coldwave conditions are continuing, as fresh snowfall has been recorded in the higher reaches and cold northwesterly winds are blowing towards the plains. Night time temperature is dipping rapidly, particularly when fog is still shallow,” said a MeT official, stating a gradual rise in mercury can be expected in the next 48 hours, however, the mercury will remain below normal.

“A short-term slight relief from the cold is only expected from January 11 to 13, when wind direction changes,” the official added.

Delhi’s air quality has also shown a slight improvement in the last 24 hours, recording a reading of 369 (very poor) at 12 pm, while 377 as per Central Pollution Control Board’s national bulletin at 4 pm on Saturday. On Friday, Delhi’s AQI touched 400, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) in NCR to invoke measures under Stage III of the Graded Response Action Plan (Grap).