NEW DELHI: Delhi and the National Capital Region continued to shiver, with the mercury dipping to its lowest this season so far on Thursday morning. A respite from the chill is unlikely in the next few days. Delhi recorded a ‘cold day’ as the minimum temperature dropped to 3.5 degree Celsius while the maximum was recorded at 15.2 degree Celsius, seven notches below normal and the lowest this December.
A ‘cold day’ is declared when the minimum temperature is less than 10 degree Celsius and the maximum is 4.4 degree Celsius below normal. A cold wave in Delhi has been declared, with icy winds from the snow-covered western Himalayas bringing the minimum temperature down sharply.
The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded a minimum temperature of 4.6 degree Celsius while Ayanagar and Ridge weather stations recorded minimum of 3.8 degree Celsius and 3.5 degree Celsius, respectively.
According to a private weather forecasting agency, Palam and Safdarjung observatories recorded the lowest maximum of the season at 13.2 degree Celsius and 15.2 degree Celsius. Both ‘cold day’ and ‘cold wave’ conditions will persist for the next two-three days. The IMD said the cold wave prevailing in entire north India for the last three days will continue till December 18.
Severe cold conditions are likely in some pockets in Delhi, Punjab and Haryana and Chandigarh in the next 24 hours.
“Cold wave conditions in some pockets with severe cold wave conditions in isolated pockets over West Rajasthan... cold wave conditions in isolated pockets over south Haryana, Delhi and West UP. Today, the Lowest Minimum Temperature of 0.5 degrees was recorded at Sikar,” the IMD tweeted. Kuldeep Srivastava, chief of IMD’s regional forecasting centre, said the Western Himalayas recorded widespread snowfall due to strong western disturbances and now frosty winds have been blowing towards the plains, bringing the mercury down.
Cold winds from hills
Icy winds are blowing towards the northern plains from the snow-clad western Himalayan range of J&K, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand areresulting in mercury falling to new lows