Delhiites celebrated the onset of the much-delayed winter season in the Capital with heavy woollens and hot drinks after cold winds swept through the city on Saturday.
Mild showers were reported from across the city.
The day’s maximum temperature was 20.8 degree Celsius, two degrees below normal. The minimum temperature stood at 10.4 degrees as opposed to Friday’s 5.5 degrees.
“It is likely to get colder on Sunday as the day temperature is likely to fall further with similar spells of rain,” said BP Yadav, director meteorology, IMD.
Explaining the phenomenon, Yadav said: “The clouds stop the radiation from reaching the ground, making it colder. The wind chill factor caused by the first snowfall around Shimla and Himachal Pradesh added to the freeze.”
Most Delhiites enjoyed this respite from the above average temperatures in the past two weeks.
“It feels like the Delhi winters have finally arrived. Though it suddenly became chilly, it is pleasant to move around with friends just to experience the weather,” said Shruti Anand, a Delhi University student, who was spotted at India Gate, sipping tea from the roadside stall with her friends.
Some like Anand were pleasantly surprised by the fall in temperature while others like Padmini Sukumaran preferred to stay at home to avoid the cold winds.
{{/usCountry}}Some like Anand were pleasantly surprised by the fall in temperature while others like Padmini Sukumaran preferred to stay at home to avoid the cold winds.
{{/usCountry}}“I am so glad it is a Saturday and I do not have to step out to go for work. Though I initially had plans of meeting my friends we had to cancel it because of the rain and the gloomy weather. But I prefer enjoying the winters this way,” said Sukumaran.
In neighbouring cities in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, the mercury dipped further, making the afternoon cold with overcast skies.
The met department said the rain was likely to stop from Monday and the night temperatures were likely to fall.
On Saturday, the lowest temperature was recorded at Ayanagar at 6.4 degrees, while Lodhi Road and Palam recorded a minimum at 8.7 degrees and 9 degrees, respectively.
The lowest temperature in Gurgaon was 9.4 degree Celsius.