Delhi on course for chilly new year, records 4.2°C on Tuesday morning

On Monday, Delhi experienced the coldest day ever recorded since 1901.

Delhi is on course for a chilly new year. On Tuesday, a day before 2020 begins, the minimum temperature recorded in the capital was 4.2 degrees Celsius at 5:30 am, said the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

People sit beside a fire to keep themselves warm on a cold winter evening outside AIIMS in New Delhi on Monday. (PTI Photo)

On Monday, Delhi experienced the coldest day ever recorded since 1901, with the maximum temperature at Safdarjung plummeting to 9.4 degree Celsius. The minimum temperature at the observatory was recorded 2.6 degree Celsius.

Scientists at IMD said that the severe cold conditions are likely to continue on Tuesday. The primary reason behind the fall in temperature was the change in and direction from north westerly to easterly on Sunday afternoon.

“The winds are now blowing from Uttar Pradesh, which is also experiencing severe cold conditions,” said Kuldeep Srivastava, head of IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre.

Meanwhile, the increased wind speed on Monday evening improved the city’s air quality marginally. From 446, the air quality index (AQI) went up to 404 at 7 am on Tuesday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) recording.

The factors responsible for such a cold December are a “very long spell” of icy winds and a layer of fog lingering over vast swathes of the northern plains for 10-12 days, the experts said.

As the frigid air tightened its grip, a blanket of thick fog reduced the visibility to near zero at many places on Monday, disrupting train and flight operations.

The IMD said the national capital witnessed the season’s worst “dense fog” with “visibility of 0-200 metres for a very prolonged period from 0230 to 1200 hours”. Thereafter shallow to moderate fog covered the city.

Around 530 flights got delayed, 40 cancelled and 21 diverted.