Chilled: Delhi on a picnic as mercury dips below average

It was a Sunday surprise for Delhi as the mercury dipped a degree below than the average as Delhiites celebrated the winter chill by organising picnics and flocking to weekend spots such as India Gate; HT reports.

It was a Sunday surprise for Delhi as the mercury dipped a degree below than the average as Delhiites celebrated the winter chill by organising picnics and flocking to weekend spots such as India Gate.

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The minimum temperature on Sunday touched 7.8 degrees Celsius, a degree below average for this time of the year with the morning enveloped in light mist. The MET department had forecast the minimum temperature to be around 9 degrees Celcius. The rest of the day had a clear sunny sky.

The maximum temperature, too, was 23 degrees Celsius, which was two degrees below the average. As the day progressed, Delhiites flocked to Purana Qila, the zoo, Red Fort and India Gate in full picnic spirit to welcome the first wave of winter.

Kavita Sharma, a housewife from Rohini, felt that it was the perfect weather to step out. "The harsh winter is not here yet. So it is the right time to enjoy outdoors with family and friends," she said.

On Monday, the temperature might go down further, though slightly, as the met department has predicted a maximum of 24 degrees Celsius and minimum 7 degrees with a clear sky.

According to a meteorological department official, the temperature went down because of the showers on Thursday. "The western disturbance over north Pakistan and Jammu and Kashmir had caused light rain. This, in turn, pushed the temperature below normal level for this time of the year," he said.

He said mercury may not dip further in the next few days.