Delhi recorded its coldest morning in over two years on Saturday with a minimum temperature of 4.2 degrees Celsius, which was 2.7 notches below the seasonal average, as per the India Meteorological Department. The national capital remains in the grip of a cold wave, with fog and air pollution compounding the situation. The coldest January day in recent years was marked on January 15, 2024, when the minimum temperatures declined to 3.3 degrees Celsius, resulting in cold wave conditions across the national capital. Saturday’s low followed Friday’s second coldest morning of the season, when the minimum had dropped to 4.6 degrees Celsius.
As per the data from the IMD, the minimum temperature at Safdarjung settled at 4.2 degrees Celsius. Lodhi Road reported 4.7 degrees Celsius, Palam was at 4.5 degrees Celsius, Ridge station had 5.3 degrees Celsius, and Ayannagar registered 4.5 degrees Celsius. As per a report by PTI, earlier the third-lowest minimum temperatures were noted on December 4 and December 5 of last year at 5.6 degrees Celsius, followed closely by December 1 at 5.7 degrees Celsius.
IMD Weather forecast for Delhi
The Met Department has forecast dense fog conditions during the day, with relative humidity at 100% at 9 am. The IMD’s Delhi forecast for January 10 shows a mainly clear sky but cautions moderate fog at a few places and dense fog at isolated places during morning hours. A similar forecast suggests temperatures around 16-18 degrees Celsius (maximum) and 5-7 degrees Celsius (minimum) for Saturday.
Delhi Air Quality today
Air pollution added to the discomfort, with the national capital’s overall quality continuing to be in the “very poor” category. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data, the AQI was 366 at 9 am. Several pockets also recorded high AQI levels, including Dwarka Sector 8 (402), Nehru Nagar (426), RK Puram (390), Chandni Chowk (398), Patparganj (400), the ITO area (360), and IGI Airport (326).
Wider cold-wave advisory
In the IMD weather bulletin, cold wave conditions were also stated to be very likely in isolated pockets of Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab, North Interior Karnataka, and Chandigarh on January 10 and 11. Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttarakhand on January 10. The Weather Department also notified that Rajasthan is likely to experience cold wave conditions from January 11 to 14, along with dense fog till January 11.