Delhi colder than many popular winter destinations; Nainital, Mussoorie, Gangtok on list
The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 2.4 degrees Celsius at its official weather station, Safdarjung, on Tuesday.
One of the common elements of the winter season is going on vacations to enjoy the chill and possibly encounter snowfall, if that happens in the destination. For people who reside in cities or towns that maintain a moderate temperature all year round, a trip to one of the winter destinations remains at the top of their list. Delhi, which is known for its extreme temperature, and has been battered by severe cold wave this winter, on Tuesday saw its mercury plummet to an extent that made the city colder than several popular hill stations.
The capital logged a minimum temperature of 2.4 degrees Celsius at its representative weather observatory - Safdarjung - which is five notches below normal. In comparison, the minimum temperature in Nainital was lower at 6 degrees Celsius and so was in Mussoorie at 2.5 degrees Celsius.
Other weather stations in Delhi recorded even lower minimum temperatures. It was 2.3 degrees Celsius in Jafarpur, 2.2 degrees Celsius in Ridge and 2 degrees Celsius in Lodhi Road. In Ayanagar, the mercury touched 2.8 degrees Celsius.
Delhi's minimum temperature fell to lowest to 1.4 degrees Celsius on Monday since 1.1 degrees Celsius on January 1, 2021. The capital is currently under yellow alert as issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday (January 15) after a fresh cold wave descended from the Himalayas onto the northern plains. As per the Met department's latest forecast, the cold wave will last for two more days before beginning to abate from Thursday (January 19) onwards.
With Delhi shivering in extreme cold, the capital's minimum temperature surpassed or remained at par with many winter destinations in north, east and even northeastern India.
Here's a look at the comparison:
| Delhi | North India | Northeast and east India | |||
| Safdarjung | 2.4 °C | Dharamshala (Uttarakhand) | 2.2°C | Gangtok (Sikkim) | 5.6°C |
| Jafarpur | 2.3°C | Kasauli (Himachal Pradesh) | 3.6°C | Darjeeling (West Bengal) | 2.2°C |
| Ridge | 2.2°C | Dehradun (Uttarakhand) | 6.0°C | ||
| Lodhi Road | 2.0°C | Mussoorie (Uttarakhand) | 2.5°C | ||
| Ayanagar | 2.8°C | Nainital (Uttarakhand) | 6.0°C | ||