Delhi records minimum temperature of 3.3 degrees: IMD

Earlier, a cold wave swept through Delhi on Wednesday as the minimum temperature dipped to 3.5 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department mentioned.

It’s prone to get even colder on New Year’s Eve, it predicted, as dry and icy winds barreled by the plains. The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, recorded a minimum of 3.5 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 16.4 degrees Celsius.

On December 18, Delhi had recorded a maximum of 15.2 degrees Celsius, the lowest up to now this season. The climate stations at Jafarpur and Lodhi Highway recorded a low of three.5 levels Celsius and three.7 levels Celsius, respectively, it mentioned.

Throughout nighttime, “dense” fog lowered visibility to 50 meters within the Palam area. However, it improved to 400 meters by 9 am. The visibility at Safdarjung was 500 meters.

In accordance with the IMD, “very dense” fog is when visibility is between zero and 50 meters, 51 and 200 is “dense”, 201 and 500 “moderate”, and 501 and 1,000 meters “shallow”.

Within the plains, the IMD declares a cold wave if the minimal temperature dips to 4 degrees Celsius. A extreme cold wave is when the minimal is 2 degrees Celsius or less. Cold wave conditions are predicted in parts of the city over the next two days, it mentioned.

Kuldeep Srivastava, the top of the regional forecasting centre of the IMD, stated cold and dry northerly/northwesterly winds from the western Himalayas have been barreling by the plains, bringing the minimal temperature in north India down.

In keeping with IMD, a cold wave can also be declared when the minimal temperature is 10 degrees Celsius or under and is 4.5 notches less than normal. A “severe” cold wave is when the minimum temperature dips to two levels Celsius or the departure is more than 6.Four levels Celsius. On December 20, the Safdarjung Observatory recorded a minimal of 3.4 levels Celsius, the bottom this season to date.

The mean minimal temperature (7.06 degrees Celsius) in December this year so far is less than last year when it was 7.6 degrees Celsius. Last year, the national capital broke the report of the longest cold spell, registering 18 consecutive cold days.

This year, however, the city has witnessed only three “cold” days and 7 “cold wave” days up to now.

A cold day is declared when the maximum temperature is less than or equal to 16 degrees Celsius.

An AQI between zero and 50 is considered “good”, 51 and 100 “satisfactory”, 101 and 200 “moderate”, 201 and 300 “poor”, 301 and 400 “very poor”, and 401 and 500 “severe”.

Officials at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) mentioned favourable wind speed, upto 15 kmph, aided in dispersion of pollutants.