This January in Delhi was coldest since 2013: Data

The average monthly maximum, recorded at 19.7°C, too was 0.4 degrees below the normal, the data showed

New Delhi Northwesterly winds and clear skies led to Delhi recording its coldest January in a decade, with an average minimum temperature of 6.6 degrees Celsius (°C), according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.

IMD said Delhi’s cold weather can be attributed to two strong western disturbance spells affecting the Himalayas. (PTI)

This, the data showed, was 0.9 degrees below the normal for January. The last time Delhi recorded a lower average minimum in January was in 2013 (6.1°C).

The average monthly maximum, recorded at 19.7°C, too was 0.4 degrees below the normal, the data showed.

Kuldeep Srivastava, scientist at IMD, said Delhi’s cold weather can be attributed to two strong western disturbance spells affecting the Himalayas -- the first leading to cold northwesterly winds and fog, while the second spell resulting in clear night skies.

“In the first spell, where five ‘cold wave’ days were recorded between January 5 and 9, we had cloudy skies and upper-level fog, while cold northwesterly winds were blowing from the Himalayas. This spell had low day and night temperatures. The second ‘cold wave’ spell between January 16 and 18 had clear skies, and when cold northwesterly winds started blowing, the drop in temperature was even steeper,” Srivastava said.

“Each time a western disturbance influences a region, the minimum temperature rises as the skies become cloudy. While we saw four western disturbances in January, three of them mainly impacted the Himalayan range and not Delhi. That also led to no rain being recorded in the entire month, barring trace rainfall on January 12 and a spell of rain between January 29 and 30,” he said.

IMD defines a “cold wave” in a region where the minimum temperature is 4.5°C or more below the normal mark, or when it drops to 4°C or lower. Delhi saw eight cold wave days this year.

According to the Met office, Delhi logged a minimum temperature of 9.9°C on Tuesday -- one degree above normal for this time of the year, but 0.3 degrees below Monday’s low. The maximum, meanwhile, was 20.2°C – two notches below normal, but 1.3 degrees above Monday’s high.

In terms of pollution levels, Delhi saw an average Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 311 (very poor), making it more polluted than last year’s January, when the average monthly AQI was 279. The city, however, saw the AQI drop to the “severe” zone only on three days.

Delhi ends the month with dense fog, but clean air.

The Capital recorded dense fog on Tuesday, with visibility remaining below 200m at Palam between 6am and 9am, leading to some flights being delayed at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport. The city also witnessed strong winds through the day -- touching speeds of 30 kmph in parts -- leading to a drop in pollution levels, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 192 (moderate), as per the Central Pollution Control Board’s national bulletin at 4 pm.

In contrast, Delhi’s AQI reading was 207 (poor) on Monday.

Forecasts for Wednesday show that strong surface winds of speeds up to 25-30 kmph are expected to continue, while mainly clear skies will be seen during the day. The maximum and minimum is likely to hover around 20 and 10 degrees respectively.