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Slight rise in mercury, but AQI is still ‘severe’
Cold wave conditions abated, but only just, on Tuesday as the Capital received some much-needed sunshine during the afternoon with wind direction changing and lifting the fog to mark the culmination of what official records show to be the third worst cold spell for the month of January in 23 years.
Cold wave conditions abated, but only just, on Tuesday as the Capital received some much-needed sunshine during the afternoon with wind direction changing and lifting the fog to mark the culmination of what official records show to be the third worst cold spell for the month of January in 23 years.
The Capital’s pollution levels, too, improved marginally, with the air quality index (AQI) recorded at 407, compared to 434 on Monday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board’s 4pm meeting.
While the 24-hour average calculated till the bulletin was released showed pollution to be in “severe” category, there was an improvement by late evening, with the AQI 383 at 9pm, or in the “very poor” category.
But the effects of the weather conditions could still be felt in the Capital and surrounding areas.
Six American tourists were injured and a man was killed in two separate accidents on the expressway between Agra and Delhi, as dense fog continued to cover the Indo-Gangetic plains, especially in the early hours of the day.
The first 10 days of the month recorded the third-highest number of days at a stretch since the year 2000 that minimum temperatures were this low and there was what is defined as a “cold wave” condition.
“If we look at both the minimum temperature and the number of consecutive cold wave days being recorded, then for January, this is the third coldest spell from 2000 onwards. It was most intense in 2006, when the minimum fell to as low as 0.2 degrees and a low of 1.4 degrees was also recorded. This spell lasted four days. In 2013, a minimum of 1.9 degrees was recorded with the spell lasting six consecutive days,” said RK Jenamani, scientist at the India Meteorological Department.
This year, he said, there was a low of 1.9°C, and the spell lasted for five straight days.
The Safdarjung station, which is the representative weather station for Delhi, recorded a minimum temperature of 6.4°C – a notch below normal, but 2.6 degrees higher than Monday’s minimum. The maximum, or day temperature, was still lower than usual, at 18.7°C, but fraction better than Monday.
What made a difference was an improvement of the overcast conditions due to the fog. The city began the day with “very dense” to “dense fog”, with visibility dipping to 50 metres at both Palam and Safdarjung, impacting both train and flight operations. But by 10am, the situation improved and there no diversions or cancellations at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International (IGI), although around 100 flights were delayed till 9.30am. At least 35 trains were also late by over an hour on Tuesday morning, data shared by northern railways showed.
Six American tourists, travelling from Delhi to Agra, were injured in an accident due to low visibility on account of the dense fog on Yamuna Expressway in Mathura early on Tuesday morning. The two Indian drivers with them were also injured.
Jenamani said this would not be January’s last cold spell, with another expected after January 14, once wind direction returns to northwesterly. “After this western disturbance, which departs on January 13, we will see cold winds again and the minimum will once again dip below 4 degrees in places.”
Behind Tuesday’s improvement were winds from westerly and southeasterly directions, which will strengthen by Wednesday and the minimum is expected to rise to around 7 degrees. “This will further increase to around 9°C by Thursday and Friday. Delhi’s maximum will also increase to around 20 degrees during this three-day spell,” said a met official, stating the western disturbance will help bring fresh snow to the mountains.
Such conditions will also help improve the air quality.
Large parts of north India, however, continued to reel under numbing cold conditions. Temperatures remained below freezing point at most places in Jammu and Kashmir, while dense fog in the early hours of the morning hit road and rail traffic movement, including causing accidents.
In Jammu & Kashmir, Srinagar recorded a low of 1.8°C on Monday night, up from 0.9°C the night before, officials said. Qazigund registered a minimum temperature of minus 0.8°C, while Kokernag in south Kashmir recorded a low of minus 3.6°C.
The central met office said “dense to very dense fog and cold day conditions” will prevail over many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday and will gradually abate thereafter.
Light drizzle is also expected in the Capital on Thursday.
