Delhi: Both max and min temp fall to season’s lowest

Delhi on Thursday clocked a minimum temperature of 6.4°C, the lowest so far this season, two degrees below normal and a precipitous drop from 10°C a day ago.

The minimum and maximum temperatures in Delhi on Thursday fell to their lowest so far this season, with Met officials predicting even cooler days and nights ahead, thanks to clear skies and cold northwesterly winds.

Forecasts show that Delhi’s minimum temperature could dip further over the next 48 hours and touch the five-degree mark. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)

Delhi on Thursday clocked a minimum temperature of 6.4°C, the lowest so far this season, two degrees below normal and a precipitous drop from 10°C a day ago. Despite a largely sunny day, Thursday’s maximum temperature fell as well, to 23.4°C, from 24.6°C on Wednesday, though this is around normal for this time of year.

Officials at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributed the cooler nights largely to cold winds and clear skies, which help the heat escape after sundown.

Forecasts show that Delhi’s minimum temperature could dip further over the next 48 hours and touch the five-degree mark.

“Delhi has been recording cold northwesterly winds since December 12 and we have seen a gradual drop in temperatures, particularly during the day. The dip in night-time temperature is likely to be a combination of these cold winds and clear skies. In the absence of any clouds, the surface heats up fairly quickly during the day. However, this heat is lost at night, because there are no clouds to trap the warmth,” said RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD.

Ayanagar in southwest Delhi was the Capital’s coldest spot on Thursday, with the temperature plunging to 5.4°C. Mungeshpur in northwest Delhi, meanwhile, saw the day-time temperature fall to 21.4°C, the lowest across the Capital.

IMD’s forecast for the next three days shows that Delhi’s maximum temperature is likely to hover around the 23°C mark and the minimum is likely to be around 5°C.

These cold winds also meant Delhi’s air quality index (AQI) was kept under check, remaining in the “moderate” category for a third straight day.

Delhi’s AQI on Thursday was 189 (moderate), a slight increase from Wednesday’s 163 (moderate). The city has already clocked three moderate days this year (the first was on Tuesday), showed data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). It logged no moderate days last year, one in 2020 and three in 2019.