Cold wave likely in Gurugram this weekend, says IMD

Gurugram is likely to witness cold wave conditions as well as dense fog over the weekend, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD)

Gurugram is likely to witness cold wave conditions as well as dense fog over the weekend, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Gurugram, India-January 14:A man on a walk on a cold winter and foggy morning at Leisure Valley Park in Sector 29, in Gurugram, India, on Friday, 14 January 2022. (Photo by Parveen Kumar/Hindustan Times)

The city recorded a “cold day” on Friday with a maximum temperature of 14.4 degrees Celsius (°C), five degrees below normal for this time of the year. The minimum temperature was recorded at 7.5°C--one degree above normal.

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

Gurugram has witnessed four “cold days” this week, including Friday.

On Friday, there was dense fog throughout the city with the visibility dropping to around 50 metres at the Palam airport in the morning hours.

Manmohan Singh, director of Meteorological Centre, Chandigarh, a regional centre of IMD, said, “Cold wave and cold day conditions, along with dense fog, will continue for at least the next three days over Gurugram. A dense fog alert has been issued for the next two days, during which visibility will remain less than 100 metres and can drop to 50 metres in open areas. There is a western disturbance approaching, which is likely to impact the region from January 17, and a slight rise in maximum temperature is likely, but if it gets delayed then cold wave conditions can increase for few more days.”

Before Friday, Gurugram had recorded a maximum temperature of 14.4°C on Sunday, the lowest maximum temperature recorded this season.

Meanwhile, with an Air Quality Index reading of 383 on Friday, Gurugram’s air quality dipped to the “very poor” category of Central Pollution Control Board’s classification from “poor” on Thursday (with an AQI reading of 282).

According to the weather bulletin issued by the Air Quality Early Warning System for Delhi-NCR, over the next two days, the air quality is likely to remain in the “very poor” category as the winds are likely to remain relatively slow with poor ventilation conditions till Tuesday.