Delhi shivers as 2nd cold wave sets in, lows to stay around 3-4°C: IMD

Cold wave conditions are expected to continue in Delhi-NCR for at least the next five days, according to scientists at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while pollution levels are likely to further worsen and may even reach the “severe” zone in the coming days.

Delhi residents shivered as a biting cold set over the city for the second time this season with the minimum temperature on Wednesday dropping to 3.2 degrees Celsius, even as dense fog and low wind speed pushed the air quality into the “very poor” zone.

This is the second time this season that the Delhi residents are experiencing a sharp drop in temperatures, with the previous cold spell occurring around the end of 2020 in which the minimum temperature on New Year’s Day dropped to 1.1°C – the lowest temperature recorded in the city in 14 years. (Representative Image)

Cold wave conditions are expected to continue in Delhi-NCR for at least the next five days, according to scientists at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while pollution levels are likely to further worsen and may even reach the “severe” zone in the coming days.

This is the second time this season that the Delhi residents are experiencing a sharp drop in temperatures, with the previous cold spell occurring around the end of 2020 in which the minimum temperature on New Year’s Day dropped to 1.1°C – the lowest temperature recorded in the city in 14 years.

On Wednesday, the minimum temperature recorded at the Safdarjung observatory, which is considered the official reading for the city, was 3.2°C, a deviation of four degrees from what is considered normal this time of the year. The maximum temperature during the day was 18.5°C, a notch below normal.

Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre, said that on Thursday the minimum temperature is likely to stay around 3-4°C. On Friday, it will rise marginally, before falling again on Saturday.

“There is intense snowfall being reported from states like Jammu Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, and currently Delhi is receiving north-westerly winds from these snow-clad states. On Wednesday, there is also a forecast of dense fog, which will also impact the visibility in the early hours,” said Srivastava.

On early Wednesday, dense fog conditions led to the visibility at Palam and Safdarjung observatories dropping to zero metres for a brief period. Even with the dense fog, officials at Delhi airport said there was no impact on flight operations.

“Low visibility procedures were activated but no diversions or cancellations were reported due to fog,” the official said.

The dense fog also led to the city’s air quality worsening. Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recordings show that the overall air quality index (AQI) of Delhi was 354, in the “very poor” zone, a deterioration from Tuesday’s 293, categorised as “poor”.

VK Soni, head of IMD’s environment monitoring and research centre, said the AQI in Delhi is likely to deteriorate further in the coming days.