Minimum temperature to dip by 2-4°C in 2-3 days in northwest India: IMD

Minimum temperatures are expected to fall by 2-4°C over many parts of northwest India in the next two-three days

A western disturbance impacting Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh led to a slight increase in Delhi’s minimum temperature on Sunday, which rose to 6.5 degrees Celsius (°C) in comparison to the 5.5°C the previous day. However, Sunday’s low was still two notches below the normal for this time of the year, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.

People huddle around a bonfire amid a foggy morning in New Delhi. (Sakib Ali /Hindustan Times)

Minimum temperatures are expected to fall by 2-4°C over many parts of northwest India in the next two to three days, IMD said, with Delhi’s low expected to dip to 5°C by December 21. “Though the western disturbance is not directly impacting Delhi, it is still leading to cloudiness, which has raised the minimum slightly and halted the dip in temperature. Mercury should remain around 6-7°C for the next three days,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD.

“Cold, northwesterly winds are expected to blow over north India when the western disturbance moves away. But we are not expecting onset of cold wave conditions yet,” said M Mohapatra, director general, IMD. IMD defines a “cold wave” in a region where the minimum is 4.5°C or more below the normal mark, or when it drops to 4°C or lower.

The Capital had recorded a season-low of 4.9°C on Friday — the city’s coldest December day since New Year’s Eve on 2021, when the temperature was 3.8°C. Temperatures didn’t dip below five degrees last December, plateauing at 5°C on December 26.

The maximum on Sunday was 24.7°C — three degrees above normal, but nearly a degree below the 25.4°C on Saturday. In the absence of dense fog and low clouds, the maximum is forecast to remain between 23 and 25 degrees for the next six days. Delhi also recorded shallow fog on Sunday, with the lowest visibility recorded at 600 metres. However, the conditions did not hamper operations at IGI airport.

Delhi’s pollution levels, meanwhile, continued to remain in the “very poor” zone, with a 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) reading of 331 on Sunday — a slight improvement from the 354 on Saturday. Forecasts show air quality is likely to remain “very poor” in the next three days too.

IMD also predicted light to moderate rainfall over Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Mahe on December 17 and 18 — isolated parts may receive heavy to very heavy rain — and in most places in Lakshadweep from December 17 to 19. Strong off-shore winds speed reaching 25-35 kmph are likely along and off the Gujarat coast during next two days.