Mercury drops to 6.6°C, mornings to get colder

Mornings in the city have turned colder this week, with the minimum temperature dipping to 6

Mornings in the city have turned colder this week, with the minimum temperature dipping to 6.6 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, by about two degrees from Monday’s 8.3 degrees Celsius. However, the afternoon provided some respite from the chill on Wednesday, with the maximum temperature rising to 20.3 degrees Celsius, up from 16.3 degrees Celsius on Monday, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.

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According to official forecasts, mornings may get colder by the weekend, with the minimum temperature expected to dip to around 5 degrees Celsius on Thursday. “This is under the influence of dry, icy winds, which are blowing from the Himalayas, originating from the northwest direction of Delhi-NCR,” said Kuldip Srivastava, head of the IMD’s regional forecasting centre in Delhi, adding that cold wave conditions may be felt in small, isolated pockets across the region.

A cold wave implies that the minimum temperature has dropped to 4 degrees Celsius.

The maximum temperature, meanwhile, is expected to remain between 20 and 21 degrees Celsius until at least January 31, while the minimum temperature is expected to rise slightly, touching 7 degrees Celsius.

The IMD’s seven-day forecast for Gurugram predicts a simultaneous rise in both the minimum and maximum temperatures from February 1, with the temperatures expected to settle at 8 degrees Celsius and 23 degrees Celsius on February 2.

While shallow to moderate episodes of fog are expected to last for at least another three days, Gurugram may see clearer skies from February 1, as per the forecast. Air quality in the city remained in the very poor category of the Central Pollution Control Board’s daily air quality index (AQI) bulletin, with a reading of 317. This is slightly up from an AQI of 314 (also very poor), the previous day.

While there is no significant deterioration in pollution levels to be expected, the early air quality warning system for Delhi-NCR states that there will not be significant improvement in air quality over the next five days either. “Wind speeds have slowed down to about 5kmph per hour after the passage of a recent western disturbance, and pollutants are accumulating during the morning hours when fog is densest. There is some improvement during the day when the wind speed is touching around 12kmph, but we can largely expect air to be very poor until the temperature rises next month,” said Sachin Panwar, a city-based independent air quality scientist.