Delhi shivers at 4.2 degrees Celsius, night temperature to fall further

On Thursday, another “severe” cold day was registered again in Delhi with the maximum temperature 13.4°C, seven degrees below normal.

There is no let-up in the severe cold condition in Delhi. At 6.30 am on Friday, the minimum temperature was recorded as 4.2 degrees Celsius at the Safdarjung observatory. A blanket of fog reduced the visibility to less than 100 metres.

A man wrapped in a shawl crosses a railway track oh Thursday as the national capital witnesses intense cold conditions. (Burhaan Kinu/HT Photo)

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), Delhi is going to experience cold days or severe cold day conditions till December 29, after which it could see a rise in day temperature. A severe cold day is when maximum temperature is 6.4 degrees Celsius lower than normal.

The night temperature is expected to fall further over the next two days.

Watch: Delhi shivers at 4.2 degrees Celsius, homeless flock to night shelters

The regional weather department has already predicted that the month of December is going to be the second coldest for Delhi in a century because of significantly low day temperatures. The mean maximum temperature this month till Thursday is 19.84°C. The lowest mean maximum temperature in the city was recorded in 1997 at 17.3°C.

On Thursday, another “severe” cold day was registered again in Delhi with the maximum temperature 13.4°C, seven degrees below normal, and minimum of 5.8°C, two degrees below normal.

“Though there has been some sunlight, but it’s not intense to warm the earth’s surface,” a senior IMD scientist said.

He added that on December 28, there can be a change in wind direction to easterly, temporarily, but night temperatures will continue to fall.

Meanwhile, air quality in the national capital plunged marginally though remaining in the very poor zone. The air quality index (AQI) at 7.30 am on Friday was 364, as against the overall AQI of 349, the previous day.

Weather experts said air quality may deteriorate from December 28-29 due to an increase in fog cover and reduced wind speed.

A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect the western Himalayan region from December 30, bringing widespread rain and hailstorm in Delhi and many parts of northwest and central India on December 31 and January 1, according to IMD.