Delhi shivers as temperatures drop to season’s lowest, light rain adds to chill
New Delhi: Delhi experienced its coldest morning of the winter season on Friday, with a sharp dip in temperatures and a biting chill sweeping across the city. The minimum temperature dropped to 4.6 degrees Celsius, about 2.3 degrees below the seasonal average, while light rain was reported from a few areas, worsening the wintry conditions.
Data from weather stations showed Safdarjung recording a minimum of 4.6 degrees Celsius, while Palam logged 5.0 degrees and Lodhi Road 5.2 degrees. The Ridge station reported 5.4 degrees Celsius. Ayanagar was among the coldest pockets, with the temperature dipping to 4.8 degrees Celsius. Trace rainfall was recorded at Safdarjung and Lodhi Road, while Ayanagar received 0.8 mm of rain. No rainfall was reported at Palam and the Ridge.
The Regional Weather Forecasting Centre said light drizzle is likely in parts of the city, including areas such as Lodhi Road, R K Puram, Defence Colony, Lajpat Nagar, Tughlakabad and Ayanagar. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also warned that cold conditions may persist over Delhi-NCR and parts of north and northwest India in the coming days. However, officials said cold wave conditions have not yet set in. The maximum temperature in the capital is expected to hover around 17 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained a concern, staying in the ‘very poor’ category with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 325. As many as 26 monitoring stations reported very poor air quality, a deterioration from the ‘poor’ levels recorded a day earlier.
(with inputs from agencies)
