Crouching cold, hidden city

Delhiites reeled under above-normal temperatures on Wednesday to add to the string of unusually warm days that have pretty much been the defining feature of this December so far, reports HT Correspondent.

Delhiites reeled under above-normal temperatures on Wednesday to add to the string of unusually warm days that have pretty much been the defining feature of this December so far.

HT Image

At 26.6 degrees Celsius, the maximum temperature was three degrees more than the normal mark — an average of daily temperatures over more than half a century. The minimum temperature was 10.3 degrees Celsius, again a couple of degrees warmer than expected.

The maximum was just a couple of degrees away from 29.3 degrees Celsius, the highest-ever in December, in 1987.

Most citizens seemed to miss the chill. “It does not feel like December. Well into the third week, there is no cold,” said Aarti Kumar, a resident of Green Park Extension.

The Met department admitted this year is different. “It is definitely warmer than last December. ” said S.C. Bhan, Director, Safdarjung unit, Met department.

The reason is the same as usual: A cloudy mass, the Western Disturbance, is passing through the region, changing wind pattern. Icy northwesterly winds are interacting with warm southerlies, hence the heat.

“Another western disturbance from Pakistan will lead to moisture in Delhi’s air,” said a Met department official. Bhan, however, said temperatures would drop after the 20th.