Delhi reels under biting cold as mercury plunges to season's lowest

New Delhi: Delhi recorded its coldest morning of this winter season on Friday, with a biting chill gripping the city as the minimum temperature plunged to its lowest level so far, even as trace rainfall was reported at several places across the national capital.

The minimum temperature settled at 4.6 degrees Celsius, about 2.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal normal, marking the coldest morning of the season.

Weather stations across the city also reported trace rainfall during the early hours, adding to the wintry conditions.

Station-wise data showed that Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees Celsius below the seasonal normal, while Palam logged 5.0 degrees Celsius, 1.5 degrees below normal. Lodhi Road recorded a minimum of 5.2 degrees Celsius, 0.8 degrees below normal, while the Ridge station reported 5.4 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees below normal.

Ayanagar was the coldest among the listed stations, with the minimum temperature dipping to 4.8 degrees Celsius, 1.2 degrees below the seasonal average.

As for rainfall, Safdarjung and Lodhi Road recorded trace rainfall during the past 24 hours till 8.30 am, while Ayanagar received 0.8 mm of rainfall.

No rainfall was recorded at Palam and the Ridge station during the same period.

According to the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, drizzle is likely at a few places in Delhi, including Akshardham, Lodhi Road, Nehru Stadium, R K Puram, Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Tughlakabad, IGNOU, Ayanagar and Deramandi.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its All India Weather Summary and Forecast Bulletin, said cold wave conditions are likely to persist over parts of north and northwest India, including Delhi-NCR, over the coming days.

"It is a chilly morning but no cold wave conditions are threatening yet," an IMD official said.

The maximum temperature in Delhi is expected to hover around 17 degrees Celsius.

Thursday marked the third coldest morning of the season as the mercury at the city's base station Safdarjung dipped to 5.8 degrees Celsius, 1.1 degrees below normal.

The second lowest minimum temperature of the season was recorded on December 4 and 5 last year at 5.6 degrees Celsius, followed by December 1, when it stood at 5.7 degrees Celsius.

Delhi had earlier recorded its first cold day of the season on January six, when the maximum temperature plunged to 15.7 degrees Celsius, 3.3 degrees Celsius below normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 7.6 degrees Celsius.

Cold day conditions persisted on Wednesday as well, with the maximum temperature recorded at 16.7 degrees Celsius, 2.3 degrees Celsius below normal, and the minimum at 8.6 degrees Celsius.

According to the IMD, cold day conditions are declared when the minimum temperature remains below 10 degrees Celsius and the maximum temperature falls 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius below normal, while cold wave conditions are declared when the minimum temperature drops by 4.5 to 6.4 notches below normal.

Meanwhile, Delhi's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category, with the Air Quality Index (AQI) recorded at 325. As many as 26 monitoring stations reported 'very poor' air quality, deteriorating from poor levels recorded a day earlier.

As per the Central Pollution Control Board's classification, an AQI between 0 and 50 is considered 'good', 51 to 100 'satisfactory', 101 to 200 'moderate', 201 to 300 'poor', 301 to 400 'very poor' and 401 to 500 'severe'.