Delhi: Cold wave likely by Tuesday, but no sub-zero temperatures

Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at private weather forecaster Skymet, said the temperature in Delhi will not dip below zero degrees as forecast by some forecasters

The day temperature dropped by a few notches on Saturday, hinting at the impending return of cold wave conditions, which are expected to set in by Tuesday in Delhi/national Capital Region, the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) said.

The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi’s base weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 10.2°C, around three degrees above the normal for this time of the year, and marginally above Friday’s 9.8°C. (Sanchit Khanna/HT photo)

The Safdarjung observatory, Delhi’s base weather station, recorded a minimum temperature of 10.2°C, around three degrees above the normal for this time of the year, and marginally above Friday’s 9.8°C. The maximum temperature stood at 18.4°C, two degrees below the normal, and three degrees below Thursday’s reading of 21.5°C.

IMD declares a cold wave in a region when the minimum temperature is 4.5 degrees or more below the normal mark, or when it drops to 4°C or lower.

“Cold wave is expected from January 17 and 18. The minimum temperature will continue to dip and is expected to hover around 4°C on January 17,” said IMD scientist RK Jenamani.

He added that the minimum temperature had risen marginally on Saturday due to cloud cover.

As per the IMD’s seven-day weekly forecast, the maximum temperature is expected to touch 7°C on Sunday. The temperature will touch 4°C on January 17 and 18, as per the forecast. “Cold wave will prevail over many places of Delhi-NCR during this period. The minimum temperature at Ayanagar and Ridge may be around 3°C on January 17 and 18,” said another IMD official, asking not to be named.

According to IMD’s weekly forecast, the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 17°C on Saturday while the minimum temperature is likely to stay around 7°C. A clear sky is expected during the day with shallow fog in the morning.

Mahesh Palawat, vice-president at private weather forecaster Skymet, said the cold northerly winds had strengthened due to which the temperature will drop further. “There was some cloud cover on Friday night due to which the minimum increased marginally. The maximum temperature has dropped since northerly winds have strengthened. The minimum will fall on Sunday and a gradual dip will continue till January 16-17 on account of cold winds. In some parts, the temperature may dip till 3-4°C,” said Palawat.

He said the temperature in Delhi will not dip below zero degrees as forecast by some forecasters. “For Delhi, we are not expecting any freezing temperatures. Such temperatures are usually reported from arid regions such as Rajasthan where the temperature in parts such as Churu often goes down to that extent,” said Palawat.

The capital reported shallow fog on Saturday morning while some parts saw moderate fog. Visibility at 8.30am at Safdarjung and Palam weather stations stood at 1,000m and 500m, respectively. Forecasts show Delhi is likely to record shallow fog on Sunday.

The IMD classifies fog as “shallow” when visibility dips below 1,000 metres, as “moderate” when visibility is between 200 and 500 metres and as “dense” when it is below 200 metres. It is “very dense” when visibility is below 50 metres.