At 7.5°C, Gurugram witnesses fourth consecutive ‘cold day’

The IMD issued a yellow alert for Thursday, predicting cold wave conditions and dense fog in the south Haryana region, including in Gurugram and Faridabad districts

The district recorded a fourth consecutive “cold day” on Wednesday with a maximum temperature of 16 degrees Celsius. Gurugram also recorded a minimum temperature of 7.5 degrees Celsius (°C)--one degree above the normal for this time of the year.

Gurugram, India - January 11: A locomotive approaches amid foggy weather conditions, in Gurugram, India, on Tuesday, 11 January 2022. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), when the maximum temperature is less than or equal to 16°C in plains, it is considered a “cold day”.

The IMD issued a yellow alert for Thursday, predicting cold wave conditions and dense fog in the south Haryana region, including in Gurugram and Faridabad districts.

“Over the next three days, there will be no big change in the minimum temperature in the region. [There could be a] rise by two to three degrees after that. Cold day conditions in isolated pockets are very likely over the south Haryana region during the next two days and some parts may witness dense to very dense fog also in the night or morning hours. A fresh western disturbance is also likely to impact the region with scattered rain likely around the weekend,” said Manmohan Singh, director of Meteorological Centre, Chandigarh, a regional centre of IMD.

On Sunday, Gurugram witnessed its coldest day of the season so far as the maximum temperature dropped to 14.4°C--six degrees below normal.

Meanwhile, Gurugram recorded “moderate” air quality on Wednesday with an Air Quality Index reading of 138 according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s 4pm bulletin. On Tuesday, the city had reported an AQI reading of 175, also in the “moderate” category.

An AQI reading between 101 and 200 is considered “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, and 301 and 400 “very poor”.

According to the weather bulletin issued by the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi-NCR, over the next two days, the region’s air quality may deteriorate to the “poor” category as winds coming in from the northwest direction are likely to be relatively slow. The region’s air quality is likely to remain in the lower end of the “very poor” category on Friday, it said.