Slight relief for Delhi as minimum rises to 5.3°C

Weather officials said similar temperatures are likely to persist till the weekend, with moderate to dense fog likely in the mornings

The cold wave streak that kept Delhi in a vise-grip for five days snapped on a sunny Wednesday, when the temperature crept up to 5.7°C, while strong winds largely kept the fog at bay and allowed trains and flights to operate with fewer hiccups than over the past few days.

At Dwarka on Wednesday. Officials said moderate to dense fog is likely to persist in the mornings till the weekend. (Vipin Kumar/HT Photo)

Weather officials said similar temperatures are likely to persist till the weekend, with moderate to dense fog likely in the mornings.

Wednesday’s minimum temperature was Delhi’s highest since January 11 (5.8°C), breaking the shackles of a spell of chill that saw temperatures drop for four straight days.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) defines a ‘coldwave’ as when the minimum temperature is 4.5°C or more below normal. It can also be classified as a coldwave in the plains when the minimum reading is 4°C or lower for two consecutive days. Delhi’s minimum was 3.5°C on Tuesday, 3.3°C on Monday, 3.5°C on Sunday, 3.6°C on Saturday and 3.9°C on Friday.

“The slight rise in minimum temperature was due to a change in wind direction, from northwesterly to easterly. While northwesterly winds are colder, easterly winds are much warmer. We also saw an increase in wind speed, to over 10 km/hr at night time, which reduced the fog intensity,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD, stating coldwave conditions were unlikely in the next three to four days.

Day-time temperatures also rose marginally, with a maximum of 18.2°C — two degrees below normal. It was 17.4°C a day earlier.

The maximum is forecast to hover between 18-20°C till the weekend, making for sunny days.

A consistent breeze through the day kept the fog at a distance on Wednesday, with the visibility not dropping to zero for the first time inthree days.

Indeed, the lowest visibility on Wednesday was 200m at 5:30am, impacting fewer flights and trains than has been the case for nearly five days.

Around 50 flights were delayed, while 10 were cancelled through the day. No flights werre diverted in the morning, said airport officials.

In comparison, over 800 flights have been diverted at the Delhi airport in the last three days, with over 40 cancelled and 15 diverted. Northern Railway meanwhile reported 20 trains - either originating from or headed to the capital - were delayed by over an hour on Wednesday.