NEW DELHI: The capital stayed locked in a cold wave for the fourth consecutive day on Wednesday, though temperatures showed a slight improvement from the previous day but the winter chill continued to dominate, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
The IMD said Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 20 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, which was 0.1 notch above normal, while the minimum temperature settled at 3.8 degrees Celsius, 3.6 notches below the seasonal average.
The weather department said the city has been experiencing one of its coldest spells in recent years, with minimum temperatures hovering near 3 degrees Celsius since the beginning of the week. Delhi had last recorded a lower January minimum temperature of 1.4 degrees Celsius on January 16, 2023.
Safdarjung recorded a minimum temperature of 3.8 degrees Celsius, 3.6 notches below normal. Palam logged a minimum of 4.4 degrees Celsius, 2.9 notches below normal, while Lodhi Road recorded 3.6 degrees Celsius, 2.4 notches below the seasonal average.
Ridge reported a minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius, 3.5 notches below normal, and Ayanagar recorded a low of 4 degrees Celsius, 3.1 notches below normal, the IMD data showed. According to the weather department, Tuesday recorded the coldest January morning in three years.
The IMD has issued a “yellow” alert for cold-wave conditions for Thursday, with temperatures expected to range between 5 degrees Celsius and 22 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, the air quality in the capital remained in the “very poor” category. The 24-hour average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 353, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). In the evening, 30 monitoring stations witnessed “very poor” air.