Delhi records coldest day of the season, cold-wave like weather at Aya Nagar

IMD said the minimum temperature at the Safdarjung weather station, which provides representative data for the entire city, was 9.6 degrees Celsius, three degrees below the season’s normal, on Wednesday. The maximum temperature was recorded at 27.4 degrees Celsius

Delhi recorded its coldest day of the season on Wednesday with the minimum temperature being recorded at 9.6 degrees Celsius even as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) station at Ayanagar registered a ‘coldwave-like’ condition as the minimum temperature (9.1 degrees) stayed four notches below normal.

The national capital witnessed its coldest day of the season on Wednesday with the minimum temperature in the city being recorded at 9.6 degrees Celsius. (Raj K Raj)

IMD said the minimum temperature at the Safdarjung weather station, which provides representative data for the entire city, was 9.6 degrees Celsius, three degrees below the season’s normal, on Wednesday. The maximum temperature was recorded at 27.4 degrees Celsius.

At the Aya Nagar observatory, the minimum temperature fell to 9.1 degrees Celsius, which was four degrees below normal. According to IMD, coldwave conditions are declared when the temperature shows a departure of four or more degrees.

IMD officials said, Aya Nagar was only the second area in north India that recorded this phenomenon. The minimum temperature at Rajasthan’s Bhilwara was recorded at 7.2 degrees, 5.4 degrees below normal, according to the regional meteorological centre (RMC) website.

Mahesh Palwat, vice-president (meteorology and climate change), Skymet Weather Services, said under the impact of La Nina—a climate pattern that occurs in the Pacific Ocean every few years and affects weather around the world—north India can record lower than normal temperatures this winter.

“While winters this year is likely to be colder than normal, but during November this year, Delhi has not recorded any western disturbance, which is unusual. After October 24, there has not been any active western disturbance over Delhi. With one western disturbance, we can record a steep drop in temperatures. Till then, minimum temperatures will remain in the same range,” said Palawat.

Meanwhile, a mild improvement in local winds on Wednesday led to a marginal reduction in pollution levels in the national capital. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recordings show that the air quality index of Delhi was 375, categorised as very poor. On Tuesday, Delhi’s AQI was 403, in the severe zone.

“Air quality is likely to remain in the very poor zone till November 21, and start improving slowly after that because of increased wind speed,” said a senior Met official on Wednesday.