NEW DELHI: Dense fog engulfed the national capital on Republic Day and the minimum temperature in the city settled at 4.7 degrees Celsius, officials said on Friday. The conditions are expected to improve by the time the 75th Republic Day parade commences on Kartavya Path.
According to the weather office, the Indira Gandhi Airport and the Safdarjung airport reported dense fog with visibility of 100 metres and 300 metres respectively at 8.30 am.
The morning was cold, with the minimum temperature recorded four notches below the season’s average. The weatherman predicted partly cloudy skies for the day and said the maximum temperature is expected to settle at 20 degrees Celsius.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued an orange alert for Friday.The IMD has predicted that the minimum temperature will range between 5 to 7 degrees Celsius. It added that Delhi is currently experiencing cold day conditions with dense fog in the morning and night.
On January 25, Delhi recorded a minimum temperature of 4.8 degrees Celsius, which is three notches below the season’s average, as reported by the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The maximum temperature was noted at 20.5 degrees Celsius, one notch below the normal. The relative humidity at 5.30 pm stood at 69 percent. The city has experienced five cold days and five cold wave days in January so far, the highest in the past 13 years, according to IMD.
Even when some parts of Delhi witnessed light rainfall on Wednesday morning as per IMD, the air quality remained ‘poor’.