Cold wave returns: Temp falls to 3.4°C, Delhi may be cooler today

Cold wave returned to the capital on Thursday morning, with Delhi’s minimum temperature dropping sharply to 3.4 degrees Celsius – four notches below normal, and the steepest drop this season, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said, and predicted that the mercury is expected to drop further in the next 24 hours.

IMD also issued a yellow alert for December 31 and January 1, asking the city residents to beware of a weather situation, referring to the dropping temperatures.

Met officials it was the sharpest drop in the minimum temperature this season so far since the mercury dropped to 3.4°C from 8.4°C recorded on Wednesday. “Cold northwesterly winds have started blowing towards Delhi and with snowfall in the mountains, these ice-cold winds are now impacting the northern plains. Cold wave conditions are expected to persist in Delhi for the next two days as well,” said RK Jenamani, scientist at IMD.

The IMD declares a coldwave in the plains, when the minimum temperature is 4.5 degrees or more below the normal mark, or when it drops below the 4-degree mark. On Thursday, the minimum temperature at Safdarjung (3.4 degrees) Ayanagar (3.8 degrees) and Narela (3.2 degrees) were all classified as cold wave.

A yellow alert is generally issued by the IMD to inform the general public to ‘be aware’ of a weather situation developing in the next 24 to 48 hours. It issues an orange alert to ask people to ‘be prepared and alert’ for a weather event and a red alert, asking the public to be prepared to ‘take action’ in a weather event.

At 3.4 degrees, this is also the season’s second lowest minimum so far, as mercury dropped to 3.2 degrees Celsius on December 20. IMD forecast shows the minimum could drop below the 3-degree mark in parts of Delhi on Friday. “The next two days will have minimum hovering around 3 to 4 degrees Celsius. Some parts may even record a minimum below 3 degrees,” said Jenamani.

Safdarjung, the representative weather station for Delhi, recorded a maximum temperature of 19.5 degrees Celsius on Thursday – one degree below normal. The lowest maximum across Delhi was 18.2 degrees, recorded at both Jafarpur and Narela. The IMD has forecasts a similar maximum temperature for Friday.

Meanwhile, Delhi’s air remained in the ‘poor’ category, with an air quality index (AQI) reading of 286 recorded on Thursday, according to Central Pollution Control Board’s 4 pm bulletin. It was 267 (poor) on Wednesday.

In its nationwide weather bulletin, IMD said that cold wave to severe cold wave conditions prevailed in some parts over Punjab and in isolated pockets over Haryana, Chandigarh, west Uttar Pradesh and north Rajasthan on Thursday.

Hisar recorded a minimum of 2°C, Patiala and Ludhiana recorded 3.3 and 3.7 degrees respectively and Churu in Rajasthan had a minimum temperature of 2.5°C on Thursday morning.

In a statement, IMD said around 3 to 5 degrees fall in minimum temperatures occurred over Haryana, north Rajasthan, UP and Madhya Pradesh during the past 24 hours.

The agency has also forecast heavy rain due as an intense western disturbance is likely to affect the western Himalayan region during January 4 to 7, with possibility of isolated heavy rain on January 5 and 6, and over plains of northwest India during January 5 to 7.