NEW DELHI: The mercury plunged across the city on Monday as Delhi remained firmly in the grip of a cold wave, with Safdarjung recording its lowest temperature in three years at 3.2 degrees Celsius, four notches below normal.Safdarjung, Delhi’s main weather station, had last recorded a lower temperature than this on Jan 18, 2023, at 2.6 degrees C. Similar temperatures are likely to persist till Wednesday, with respite expected subsequently as a feeble western disturbance is expected to impact the region.
Lodhi Road was the city’s coldest spot at 3 degrees C, while Ayanagar in southwest Delhi logged 3.2 degrees C and Palam 3.3 degrees C.Cold wave was realised at many stations in Delhi on Monday. This is likely to continue for another two days,” said Krishna Mishra, scientist, IMD. A cold wave is considered when the minimum temperature is below 10 degrees Celsius, but the departure is 4.5 or more notches below normal. It is also declared when the minimum temperature is less than 4 degrees Celsius.Though isolated areas reeled under cold wave conditions on Sunday, Safdarjung witnessed a cold wave for the first time this season. IMD issued an orange alert (be prepared) for cold wave and moderate to dense fog for Tuesday, while a yellow alert (be aware) was in place for Wednesday.With crisp sunshine during most of the day, the maximum temperature on Monday was recorded at 20.6 degrees Celcius, one degree above normal.Met officials said a combination of icy-cold winds from the western Himalayan region and clear skies caused the minimum temperature to remain low. In the absence of cloud cover, heat quickly dissipates at night, leading to a sharp dip in temperatures.“Cold westerly winds are consistently prevailing in the city. However, under the influence of a feeble western disturbance, the wind direction is expected to change to easterly by Thursday, which may cause a rise in temperature,” said an official. IMD said the minimum temperature may increase to around 3-5 degrees C by Thursday and further to 8-10 degrees C by Saturday.The lowest minimum temperature recorded at Safdarjung in Jan over the past decade was 1.1 degrees C, logged on Jan 1, 2021. The all-time record low remains −0.6 degrees C, logged on Jan 16, 1935.Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality continued to remain at the higher end of the ‘poor’ category. The air quality index (AQI) was 297 on Monday as opposed to 291 a day earlier.
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