Delhi on Saturday broke its own record it hit the previous day of the lowest minimum temperature as the mercury dropped to 4.2 degrees Celsius, slightly lower than Friday's figures.
India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Safdarjung station, representative of Delhi's weather, recorded a minimum temperature of 4.2 degrees Celsius, 2.7 degrees lower than normal, according to data on weather department's website.
On Friday, Delhi logged a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius, lowest for the season - a record that Saturday's mercury data has broken. Parts of Delhi and adjoining areas that fall under the national capital region (NCR) such as Haryana's Gurugram, Uttar Pradesh's Noida and Ghaziabad witnessed rain on Friday.
What's causing the temperature drop in Delhi?
Saturday's temperature is also lowest for this month in two years, when the city recorded 3.5 degrees Celsius on January 16, 2024, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Dense fog and chilly northwesterly winds have been attributed to be the primary reasons causing the temperature to fall and extend the cold spell over Delhi-NCR, an earlier HT report quoted an IMD officials as saying.
{{/usCountry}}Dense fog and chilly northwesterly winds have been attributed to be the primary reasons causing the temperature to fall and extend the cold spell over Delhi-NCR, an earlier HT report quoted an IMD officials as saying.
{{/usCountry}}The minimum temperature was 5.8 degrees Celsius on Thursday, and 8.6 degrees Celsius on the day preceding that.
Navdeep Dahiya, an amateur weatherman, had rarlier said that no western disturbance is expected till January 15, adding that. “For Delhi, till January 15, the maximum can hover between 12-15°C at Safdarjung and 10-14°C at Palam. The minimum should fall to around 3-4°C”.
Uptick in usage of electrical equipment to beat the cold has also led to Delhi recording a power demand of 6,087MW, the highest-ever and the first time it crossed the 6,000MW threshold in the winter period (November to March), according to distribution companies data cited in an earlier HT report.