Delhi experienced its coldest morning of the winter season on Friday as the minimum temperature plunged to 4.6 degrees Celsius, following unexpected early morning rainfall, dense fog and persistent cold wave conditions. The sharp dip in temperature, around 2.3 degrees below the seasonal average, intensified the winter chill across the national capital.
Several parts of the city recorded light precipitation in the early hours, adding to the bone-chilling conditions. Safdarjung, Delhi’s official weather station, reported a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius, while Palam recorded 5 degrees Celsius, about 1.5 degrees below normal. Lodhi Road saw the temperature settle at 5.2 degrees Celsius, and the Ridge station recorded a minimum of 5.4 degrees Celsius. Ayanagar emerged as one of the coldest locations, with the mercury dipping to 4.8 degrees Celsius.
Rainfall remained minimal but significant enough to affect weather conditions. Safdarjung and Lodhi Road recorded trace rainfall during the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am, while Ayanagar received 0.8 mm of precipitation. No rainfall was reported at Palam and the Ridge station during the same period.
The India Meteorological Department stated that cold wave conditions are likely to persist over parts of north and northwest India, including Delhi-NCR, over the coming days. The weather office also predicted that the maximum temperature in the capital would hover around 17 degrees Celsius during the day.
Thursday had already marked one of the coldest mornings of the season, with the minimum temperature at Safdarjung falling to 5.8 degrees Celsius. Earlier in December, temperatures had dropped to 5.6 degrees Celsius on December 4 and 5, and to 5.7 degrees Celsius on December 1. Delhi had recorded its first cold day of the season on January 6, when the maximum temperature fell to 15.7 degrees Celsius, significantly below normal.
Despite the rainfall, Delhi’s air quality worsened, slipping into the ‘very poor’ category. The Air Quality Index stood at 325, with as many as 26 monitoring stations reporting very poor air quality levels. This marked a deterioration from Thursday, when the AQI was recorded at 294, which falls under the ‘poor’ category.
According to the Central Pollution Control Board, an AQI between 301 and 400 is classified as very poor, while levels above 400 are considered severe. The combination of cold weather, fog and poor air quality is expected to continue to pose challenges for residents in the coming days.