The temperature in the national capital has been below normal throughout the first month of 2024. Delhi witnessed a January colder than in previous years. The India Meteorological Department’s data reveals that the average maximum temperature for the current month stands at 17.3 degrees Celsius, marking the lowest recorded value for this period up to January 27 since at least 2012.
In January, Delhi experienced five ‘cold days’ with maximum temperatures being 4.5 degrees or more below the normal range. Except for January 15 and 16, when temperatures slightly exceeded the normal range, all other days recorded below-normal maximum temperatures.
Meteorological experts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) attribute the lower maximum temperatures to persistent fog spells, aggravated by the absence of a western disturbance. Earlier this month, strong westerly winds in the upper atmosphere over north India, associated with the jet stream, also contributed to maintaining daytime temperatures below normal.
Kuldeep Srivastava, a scientist from the IMD, explained, “The prolonged presence of fog this month led to below-normal maximum temperatures. The persistent fog layer is a result of the absence of a western disturbance. Typically, we observe two to three western disturbances in January, but this time, none have affected the plains of northwest India so far.”
Delhi’s weather during non-monsoon months is largely influenced by western disturbances—storms originating from the Caspian or Mediterranean Sea. The city has witnessed five cold wave days this month, characterized by significantly below-normal minimum temperatures. In comparison, January of the previous year saw eight such cold wave days.
The average minimum temperature for this month is currently 6.3 degrees Celsius, close to the 6.42 degrees recorded in January of the previous year until January 27.
According to the IMD forecast for the next six days, the maximum temperature is expected to range between 23 and 26 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature, which stood at 4.3 degrees on Saturday, is projected to rise and could be around 9 degrees Celsius on February 1.