New Delhi: Delhi experienced a chilly morning with a cold wave in isolated areas on Sunday. The minimum temperature deceased by more than three degrees.
The cold wave returned to some areas, marking the third time this month when the minimum temperature dropped below 5 degrees Celsius.
The weather department recorded a minimum temperature of 4.9 degrees Celsius, which was four degrees below normal, a significant drop from the previous day’s 8 degrees Celsius.
At PUSA, the minimum temperature was 3.8 degrees Celsius, five notches below normal. This qualified as the cold wave. The IMD defines a ‘cold wave’ in a region if the minimum temperature is below 10°C, while also being 4.5°Celsius or more below normal.
According to the meteorological department, similar low temperatures, around 5 degrees Celsius, are anticipated for the next 2-3 days, keeping the chill factor intact while a western disturbance is likely to influence northwest India on Dec 16 and 17. “The city saw consistent northwesterly winds with a clear sky that led to a drop in the temperature. From Monday, we expect a drop in wind speed as a feeble western disturbance is approaching. This could lead to a marginal rise in temperature,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice-chairman for climate change and meteorology, Skymet.
The minimum temperature fell below 5 degrees for the first time this season on Dec 11 — it was 4.9 degrees Celsius, followed by 4.5 degrees on Dec 12, which was also Delhi’s lowest Dec minimum in three years.
On Sunday, the maximum temperature was recorded at 23.2 degrees Celsius, normal for the season, against 23.4 degrees Celsius a day earlier.
The city’s air quality showed deterioration. The Air Quality Index (AQI) was 265 at 11 am, and had risen to 294 by evening and 303 — ‘very poor’ — by 6 pm. The average AQI was 294. By the evening, most areas of the city had ‘very poor’ AQI. “The air quality is likely to be in the ‘very poor’ category from Dec 16-18,” IITM has forecast.
