Delhi freezes at 2.6 degrees celsius

It was a bitterly cold on Tuesday in the national capital with the minimum temperature at 2.6 degrees Celsius, five degrees below normal.

It was a bitterly cold on Tuesday in the national capital with the minimum temperature at 2.6 degrees Celsius, five degrees below normal, and the weather office holding out little comfort with its prediction that the mercury might sink to below 1 degree Celsius in the coming days.

HT Image

"Temperatures will drop further and we will not be surprised if it goes below one degree Celsius," said an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official.

Snowfall and rain in the Himalayan region, especially in Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, are responsible for the chill in the capital city. "The breeze blowing from northwest India is helping the weather conditions here as well."

He said the cold wave conditions beginning Monday would continue at least till the weekend.

Last year, Delhi had recorded a minimum of 6 degrees Celsius on Jan 22.

On Monday, the minimum temperature was 3.8 degrees Celsius (four degrees below normal) as against 6.4 degrees on Sunday. Last week, the minimum temperature had gone over 14 degrees Celsius, bringing respite to millions of people in the city.

The chill is back after the first week of January. On Jan 1, it was 2.6 degrees Celsius and dipped to 1.9 degrees Celsius the next day.