Delhi experiences coldest morning of season, mercury dips to 2.9°C

The national capital woke up to its coldest morning of the season so far, with mercury dipping to 2.9 degrees Celsius (°C) at the Jafarpur weather station in south-west Delhi, amid persisting cold wave conditions in the city. Safdarjung, Delhi’s base observatory, recorded a low of 3.2°C, and Lodhi Road recorded a minimum of 3.1°C – around five notches below normal for this time of the season.

Prior to Monday, the lowest minimum temperature at Safdarjung was 4.6°C recorded on Sunday morning, though the reading in Jafarpur was 3.3°C that morning.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that cold wave conditions will continue across the Capital on Tuesday, before an active western disturbance brings some respite from Wednesday, raising the minimum temperature to 8°C by Christmas day. IMD has lifted the yellow alert -- issued to ask the people in an area to remain vigilant about the weather conditions -- in the Capital.

“This was the lowest minimum recorded this winter season for Delhi at most stations, with cold wave conditions persisting. For Tuesday, we can expect similar minimum temperature, but it will start rising from Wednesday onwards and could touch 7°C by Thursday,” said IMD scientist RK Jenamani, adding that a feeble western disturbance will influence the region from Wednesday.

“Cloudy conditions will return and this will make night-time temperatures not as severe. It could return to around 7-8°C between December 22 and December 25, due to this western disturbance,” he added.

The weather department declares a cold day if the maximum temperature is 4.5 degrees below normal. It announces a cold wave if the day’s low is either 4.5 degrees below normal, or below 4°C . Both the criteria were satisfied at the Safdarjung observatory on Monday.

Last December, the lowest minimum temperature recorded during the month was 3.3°C -- recorded on the last day of the month. In 2019, it fell down to 2.4°C on December 28, while in 2018, it fell down to 2.6°C on December 29.

While night-time temperature was low, daytime temperature rose above the 20-degree mark.

Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 21°C on Monday, a degree below normal, and IMD forecast a further rise of 1-2°C in the next three-four days. Delhi’s maximum was 19.2°C on Sunday and 17.8°C on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the cold wave has led to a deterioration in air quality, with Delhi’s overall air quality index (AQI) dropping from 271 (poor) on Sunday to 332 (very poor) on Monday, as per Central Pollution Control Board’s daily 4pm bulletin.

Gufran Beig, project director and founder at the Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (Safar), said a drop in wind speed and low night-time temperatures have contributed to trapping localised emissions. “At night, when temperatures dip, the air becomes heavy and pollutants are unable to disperse. Air quality is expected to deteriorate further in the next 24 hours due to these cold wave conditions, but they will not touch the ‘severe’ category,” Beig said.