Monday's minimum temperature was a notch above normal. Last year also during this time of the year the temperature was 12 °C.
(File Photo) Delhi witnessed a cold day on Sunday as the maximum temperature dropped to 15 degrees Celsius, six degrees below normal for this time of the year, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Scientists at IMD attributed the dip to winds blowing from the Western Himalayan region, where snowfall occurred on Saturday, and low clouds over Delhi and across northwest India during day time.
On Sunday, the Safdarjung observatory, which is representative of the city, recorded a maximum temperature of 15 degrees Celsius, lower than 20.4 degrees Celsius on Saturday, while minimum temperature was 8.8 degrees Celsius, higher than the 8 degrees Celsius the day before.
As per IMD criteria, a cold day is when the minimum temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or lower, and the maximum temperature is 4.5 degrees below normal, which is 21.3 degrees Celsius for this time of the year.
The city has witnessed two cold days in December and one in January so far.
Kuldeep Srivastava, head of the IMD’s regional weather forecasting centre, said, “Over the next 3-4 days, we can expect both cold day and cold wave conditions in the city… With the passing of a Western Disturbance recently, which caused snowfall and rainfall in the mountains in north India, cold winds are again blowing from this region towards Delhi. In addition to this, there is an uplifted fog or low cloud covering the entire region from Punjab to West Bengal.”
Meanwhile, the city’s air quality is also forecast to deteriorate to the higher levels of ‘very poor’ category by Wednesday, as per agencies.
